Hate speech, threats, agitation: fascist actors and networks are increasingly targeting democracy, its structures, and social cohesion. At the same time, the free press is coming under increasing attack. No wonder. Serious and power-critical journalism is an eyesore for enemies of humanity, fantasists of omnipotence, and anti-democrats. Yet, German-language leading media repeatedly stand out in these times for practices that actively violate journalistic professionalism, integrity, and ethics: eugenicists are being glorified with media reach. Pro-and-con opinion pieces turn human rights into mere opinions, degrading human dignity to a matter of negotiation. And even the journalistic assessment of world events is increasingly being refused. Journalistic media are critical infrastructure for freedom and justice. But are they prepared to counter the fascist comeback and its extremist territorial expansion? What central role do they play in this? And what do paths to resilient journalism look like in a real-time connected world? The media-analytical lecture shows: media must decide now.
Hate, threats, agitation: fascist actors and networks are increasingly targeting democracy, its structures, and social cohesion. At the same time, the free press is coming under intensified attack. No wonder. Especially serious and power-critical journalism is a thorn in the side of enemies of humanity, fantasists of omnipotence, and anti-democrats. Yet, German-language leading media repeatedly stand out in these times for practices that actively violate journalistic professionalism, integrity, and ethics: Eugenics are being glorified with media reach. Pro-and-con opinion pieces turn human rights into mere opinions, degrade human dignity to a matter of negotiation. And even the journalistic assessment of world events is increasingly being refused.
Journalistic media are critical infrastructure for freedom and justice. But are they prepared for the fascist comeback and its extremist territorial expansion? What central role do they play in this? And what do paths to resilient journalism look like in a real-time connected world?
The media-analytical lecture shows: media must decide now.
The first re:publica Vienna brought the most important European festival for digital society, politics, technology, and culture to Austria for the first time. From October 2 to 3, 2026, the Kulturhaus Brotfabrik became a place for debates and keynotes with international speakers. OKTO recorded the event and has been presenting the highlights since October 5 in the slots at 18:00 and 23:10.
