Germany's far-right AfD wants data on journalists' political views
The newest member of Germany's parliament, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, is asking journalists to allow information about their religious beliefs and political views to be collected in exchange for access to a party conference.
German newspaper the Stuttgarter Zeitung first reported on the curious registration requirement on Friday.
Journalists registering online to cover the AfD's national congress in December are being asked to check a "declaration of consent" box where they agree to the "collection, storage and use" of personal information.
In addition to the basic requirements like name and press pass number, journalists must also agree to the collection of "special data."
In the text, the AfD points to Paragraph 9 of Germany's data protection law, which defines "special data" as information on racial and ethnic backgrounds, political views, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health or sexual orientation.
The AfD notes "political views" as an example in their text, although they do not ask for that information in the online registration form. The party states the data "will only be used for the purposes of the party's work."
The area is also marked as required in order to complete registration for the event, meaning no journalist can sign up without agreeing to allow the AfD to collect the information.
The AfD frequently criticizes mainstream news outlets for publishing "fake news"
Investigation underway
According to the Stuttgarter Zeitung, Berlin's data protection officer is currently investigating the matter.
If the AfD wants to gather further personal data from journalists that is not specifically outlined in the online form, it would be improper for the party to make access to the party conference dependent on agreeing to the terms, a data protection office spokeswoman told the paper.
Officials currently believe the AfD's "declaration of consent" text resulted from a mix-up rather than an intentional attempt to collect information on journalists. The same passage is frequently used in applications for political party membership applications, where it is acceptable to ask the political opinions of the applicant, the Stuttgarter Zeitung reported.
Whether a mistake or not, the German Journalists Association has not taken the AfD's press accreditation requirement lightly.
"This is an unacceptable intrusion into the private affairs of journalists," Hendrik Zörner, spokesman for the German Journalists Association, told the newspaper. "We call on the AfD to immediately remove the required agreement."
The AfD won 12.6 percent of the vote during Germany's general election on September 24, making it the third largest party in the Bundestag and the first far-right group to enter parliament in over half a century.
The party, which frequently rails against "fake news coverage" by mainstream news outlets, has previously limited press access to party events.
The AfD will hold its national party conference on December 2 in the city of Hanover.
Source: http://www.dw.com/en/germanys-far-right-afd-wants-data-on-journalists-political-views/a-41148018
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