Berlin — The Bundestag’s Committee on Media Accountability spent Monday confronting what MPs called an unprecedented attempt by the Federal Information Office to curtail reporting from federal press briefings, after the office last month barred the independent outlet Berliner Morgenblick TV from the government press pool and warned of heavy penalties for unauthorised coverage.
The hearing, held on 21 September, heard testimony from the office’s director and from union leaders, editors and freelance reporters who say the ban was backed by the threat of fines that would ruin small outlets and freelancers. Major broadcasters stopped contributing to the pooled feed in mid‑September, leaving the government’s single, unedited livestream as the only source for ministers’ remarks.
Key facts: - Berliner Morgenblick TV was excluded from federal press pool on 10 September 2026. - Nationwide broadcasters (NordZentral TV, NeueFern and PublicisTV) suspended pool contributions on 12 September 2026. - Federal Information Office warned of fines up to €100,000 (about $106,000) for organisations and up to €15,000 (about $16,000) for freelancers for ‘unauthorised recordings’.
What the hearing heard Before the committee, Harry H. Jespersen, director of the Federal Information Office, defended his agency’s action as ‘proportionate and legal’ in the face of what he described as repeated ‘provocations’ by the excluded crew. “We have a duty to maintain order at federal events and to prevent manipulation of official material,” Jespersen said, insisting the exclusion was an administrative measure, not censorship.
Journalists say intimidation Denis Lourenço, editor‑in‑chief of Berliner Morgenblick TV, told the committee the exchange that sparked the ban was a routine, tough question to a cabinet minister and that his team left the stage peacefully when asked. “They told us we had no right to ask, and then warned us we'd be fined into silence,” Lourenço said. Freelancer Ishat Bahl, who regularly files for regional outlets, said she had been texted a draft fine notice that demanded she hand over footage and a statement within 24 hours — an ultimatum she called “intimidation.”
They told us we had no right to ask, and then warned us we'd be fined into silence.
Denis Lourenço, editor‑in‑chief
Unions and MPs push back Andrea Gastélum, head of the Journalists’ Guild, accused the office of misusing a 2024 emergency media rule, enacted after cyber‑attacks on media infrastructure, to justify broad exclusions. “This is not about security; it’s about silencing a voice that embarrasses ministers,” Gastélum said. Committee chair Theresa Forster‑Pfeiffer demanded copies of internal guidance and warned of urgent legislative fixes if the office had overstepped.
Civil liberties lawyer Bettina Fülöp told the committee she had already filed paperwork for a constitutional complaint and urged colleagues to seek immediate interim relief at the Federal Constitutional Court. “Threatening freelancers and households with five‑figure fines to deter filming of public officials is a blunt instrument and will not survive judicial scrutiny,” Fülöp said.
Practical consequences and next steps Ben Nolan, head of news operations at NordZentral TV, described the networks’ withdrawal from the pool as a last resort: “We were left with a single, government‑controlled feed. Our audiences expect independent coverage, not one‑sided video.” The committee voted to summon further witnesses and set a deadline of 5 October for the office to produce all accreditation correspondence and the legal opinion it used to justify the fines.
Outside the Bundestag, Sophie Soria, who runs a Berlin petition calling for a law to protect citizen‑journalists, said supporters would collect signatures this week. “This is about who gets to stand between power and the public,” she said. Denis Lourenço vowed Berliner Morgenblick TV would pursue its legal options and keep asking ministers hard questions, recorders in hand.
