German media authority drops investigation into Ben Berndt podcast

The North Rhine-Westphalia State Media Authority (Landesanstalt für Medien NRW) has concluded its investigation into YouTuber Ben Berndt regarding his podcast ‘Ungeskriptet’. The inquiry focused on whether Berndt violated journalistic due diligence during an interview with AfD politician Björn Höcke.

During the interview, Höcke made a demonstrably false claim that the Nazi-era SA (Sturmabteilung) had ‘no motto’. This statement contradicted legal findings regarding Höcke’s previous convictions related to the SA slogan ‘Alles für Deutschland’. The media authority had initially flagged the episode because, as a non-live broadcast, Berndt had a reasonable opportunity to correct or contextualize the false statement.

However, the authority decided not to initiate formal proceedings or require any retrospective changes to the episode. The decision was based on the fact that the false claim has since been extensively addressed and corrected through public debate. Consequently, no further regulatory measures will be taken against the podcaster.