Bloggers generally have a questionable reputation. If I, as a blogger, should counter a news report from a public broadcaster with photos and facts, I’m always the pariah.

I can understand the lack of trust in bloggers. There are some real screwballs among us. For example, I love the ESC (Eurovision Song Contest), CSD (Christopher Street Day, the theater, Israel, feminism. How much screwier can it get?

Pariahs are usually poorer than the establishment, and their manners are often more rough and rude than those in the front parlor. Tapfer im Nirgendwo is not as financially endowed as the WDR (West German Broadcasting Corporation). My blog’s tone is demonstrably less refined than the WDR local news. This doesn’t mean that I, Gerd Buurmann, don’t write with the same dedication and decency as the public broadcasting journalists. They are not more or less objective than me. We’re all human. Except that I don’t force anyone to buy my stuff. Public broadcasting in Germany does!

Shortly after the demonstration in Cologne „Not with us! Muslims and Friends against Violence and Terror“ on June 17, 2017, I wrote a blog article with the title “Speechless“:

„Today, Muslims demonstrated against Islamic terror in Cologne. 10,000 people were expected, but less than 1,000 came!”

Being myself present at the demonstration, I could actually count the number of participants, which was unfortunately quite low. I also asked the police in the presence of Henryk M. Broder, who had an even lower estimate. However, the police did officially report a peak of 1,000 participants.

The public broadcasting news station Tagesschau reported over 2,000 people and the WDR even counted more than 3,000. In my blog article „Technical Deficiencies“, I asked:

„Who does the counting at WDR? Donald Trump? Conjuring masses of people and developing „alternative facts“ is just as silly with Donald Trump as with Lamya Kaddor. One would think that. So, can I pay a 7.50 euro monthly television fee and claim it’s really 17.50 euros?“

Now, I’m getting messages calling me a rabble-rouser.

„Mr. B., the AfD (Alternative for Germany, a right wing political party) may have a position for you – or even the Neo-Nazi Identitarians may have need for a village crier like you. Interested?“

„The police estimated 3,500 demonstrators. You could have done proper research. But, propaganda is more important for you.“

The police had never made such an estimate. The organizers are merely claiming to quote the police. After I stated that I was there and could prove the numbers wrong, the answer came promptly:

„Well, I live a couple of hundred miles away and have to rely on official figures.“

The official figures came from the WDR and the news (Tagesschau). Their numbers are way off, but they made sure that my estimate was deemed a lie, pure propaganda or backroom neo-Nazi talk. This, dear WDR, happens when you work unprofessionally. And then you insist that a compulsory fee is required to finance a public broadcasting company which ensures the news is objective and free of errors. But, in this case you’re neither objective nor accurate! I’m curious as to whether I’ll receive an apology.

If I hadn’t incessantly pointed out the errors, the WDR would have perhaps gotten away with the lying, just as they would never have broadcast the TV documentary „Selected and Excluded – Jew Hatred in Europe“.

Greetings from the pigsty!

***

Translation: William Wires
http://www.williamwires.com
http://www.facebook.com/William.Wires.Fine.Art