On evidence, proof and sources in Correctiv's Germany theater

To Evidence, proof and sources in the Germany theater of Correctiv

"Secret plan against Germany" (1) - under this somewhat lurid title, the fact-checking portal Correctiv published a piece of research on January 10, 2024 that has Germany on edge. A conspiratorial meeting is said to have taken place on November 25, 2023 in the Adlon country house near Potsdam. The actors involved "planned nothing less than the expulsion of millions of people from Germany". This is how Correctiv teases the article.
Is this really a conspiracy by evil forces or is Correctiv spreading a conspiracy theory in the form of a staged play? It is undoubtedly a play. The research is stylistically designed as such. There were 46 days between the event and the publication of the play. The script published on January 10 will be premiered by the Berliner Ensemble on January 17 (!) (2). One day after the publication of the research, tickets are only available at the box office. No punch line.
The Correctiv research reveals further oddities. - An analysis:

Language

The linguistic packaging is unusual for a piece of research. Framed by a prologue and epilogue, divided into acts and scenes, the reader is presented with a criminalistic stage play. As befits the script of a drama, the characters appearing on stage are listed. 17 of them by name, from Roland Hartwig, Alice Weidel's "right-hand man", to Henning Pless, a "right-wing extremist alternative practitioner and esotericist" according to Correctiv. More exciting than the chosen text form is the language used. To put it politely, it is in the realm of fiction, less politely in the style of a cheap dime novel with the aim of creating a gloomy mood: "Outside, the snow crumbles to gray slush (...) The evening after, everything is quiet. The hotel seems deserted. Only a faint flicker of television comes from the junior suite."

Sentences like that belong in a novel, not in research.

Image selection

Copywriters, researchers, layout artists, other employees - Correctiv's research team consisted of 18 employees, according to its own information. One-to-one journalistic support in view of the alleged conspirators under observation. According to the official story, an unnamed Correctiv employee had access to the hotel and stayed there overnight. More on this later.
The infiltrated editor did not provide any images. Correctiv only presents photos from four cameras outside the location. They are pixelated grayscale images, with enlarged photos of the participants within the images. They appear gloomy and threatening, reminiscent of old RAF mugshots. There are also floor plans of the building, site plans.
What journalistic value do these images have? None at all. They neither prove nor disprove anything, but merely serve to visually underline the fact that something monstrous took place on November 25, 2023. In other words, imagine your own extended family Christmas party. Pixelated grayscale images of this celebration are shot through your living room from a great distance, combined with the "factual assertion" that your family is planning to blow up the village. Although the evidence for the accusation is thin or non-existent, the images are effective. 

Making-of

In a second, less noticed article, a making-of (3), Correctiv describes how they found out about the event. They had insider tips. Invitation letters and guest lists were leaked to the research network. Correctiv sensed an event of "outstanding social relevance" and "potential criminal relevance" based on the actors appearing, in particular Martin Sellner. They then took action.
"We rented a room via an online portal that the hoteliers had apparently forgotten to block. This allowed one of our reporters to enter the hotel openly and stay overnight with the other guests as the only external participant." 

Apparently? Correctiv is also working with suggestion here. It is implied that the hoteliers did not want to have anyone else as a guest and unfortunately forgot to block a room. It may be true that Correctiv has insider sources, but the accompanying article is already missing something. Sources! Sources such as the PDF of an invitation or a guest list are missing. According to Correctiv, these letters were leaked after all. 

Alleged sources

As usual, the research network integrates dozens of sources into its article. On the surface, such an article promises seriousness, verifiability and in-depth research. However, none of the sources substantiate the claim made at the beginning that a group of conspirators is planning "nothing less than the expulsion of millions of people from Germany". The sources are irrelevant. It is well known that Marco Wanderwitz started a petition to dissolve the AfD. It is also known that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies the AfD as right-wing extremist in some federal states. It has precisely nothing to do with the accusation made. Many of the sources are self-referential and link to old Correctiv articles. Correctiv proves its theses through Correctiv.

Missing sources

Photos of the invitations/letters? They do not exist. Recordings, audio recordings, transcripts of the speeches that prove that people said or demanded things that were demonstrably outrageous and unconstitutional? None of that exists. At least the sources are not presented to the reader. According to the article, some of the actors were asked for a statement. Why not all of them? Here too: Correctiv does not reproduce the original request or response letter so that the reader can form their own opinion based on the source. It remains a subjective retelling by Correctiv. It may or may not be true.
Another interesting question is how the network obtained the supposedly verified statements in the first place. A reporter was on site with a camera (see Making-of). However, this anonymous person did not provide any pictures (see Image selection). So how did the quotes used in the text - most of which are word quotations - actually come about? Correctiv leaves that open. It is unlikely that the nameless reporter was present in the small illustrious circle. It is equally unlikely that he was eavesdropping at the door to the room like in a cheesy detective novel. So did Correctiv bug the room? The research network does not answer these questions.

Wording, factual claims, evaluations

Right-wing extremist, right-wing radical, Nazi and also right-wing extremist. Repetitio, the constant repetition, is the multiplication table of propaganda. The word "right-wing extremist" alone appears 16 times in the research. In addition, both the article and the teaser make factual claims that are indeed serious, if they are true. For example: According to Correctiv, what was the plan of the people who met on November 25? "Their most important goal: people should be able to be expelled from Germany based on racist criteria - regardless of whether they have a German passport or not."
Is there conclusive evidence, verified statements that substantiate this serious accusation? No. Journalistic research is open-ended, without judgment, without speculation, without "allegedly and apparently". This article is full of these phenomena. Secondary media take over and outdo each other in accusations that the "deportation" of millions of people was called for in a "master plan". Which of those present spoke of deportation? Correctiv itself used the word "deport" in a single place in the article - as its own speculation as to how Martin Sellner's (unsubstantiated) statements should be interpreted. "What Sellner outlines is reminiscent of an old idea: in 1940, the National Socialists planned to deport four million Jews to the island of Madagascar."

The protagonist Martin Sellner 

The focus of the article is on Martin Sellner, part of the "Identitarian Movement", author of the book "Regime Change from the Right" - a person who can, perhaps even must, be viewed critically. Words like "master plan" are put in his mouth. Connections are made to the Wannsee Conference, a dark part of German history. Sellner himself claims not to have said or meant any of the things he is accused of. In essence, Sellner is defending himself against the accusation that he has in any way called for the forcible expulsion of people or the deportation of all migrants. (4) 

Remigration or much smoke for nothing?

What was and is it actually about? The topic was and is called remigration. The event was about a change of direction in asylum policy. Correctiv itself says that remigration was the core topic of the event. But this is not a new topic. It is cold journalistic coffee and unspectacular hot air. The AfD has been calling for remigration for a long time. In the past year, almost all other parties - from the CDU to the SPD to the Greens - have announced a change of course in asylum policy and moved closer to the AfD's position; always in a political balancing act to distance themselves from the AfD. One example of this is Chancellor Olaf Scholz's statement: "We must deport people on a large scale." (5)
The problem is that terms are being dangerously mixed up. Remigration, i.e. the deportation or expulsion of migrants who are in Germany illegally, are legitimate demands that are not only made by the AfD. Terms such as "deportation" or the "expulsion" of millions of people are not only linguistically distasteful. Such claims are justiciable and are reminiscent of Germany's dark times. The onus is now on Correctiv to prove that such claims were actually made. As things stand, the proof has not been provided. So is the drama presented really a journalistic tragedy, a hussar play of propaganda that serves to ban the AfD?

The script goes on stage

There is much to suggest that this was a staged event in the truest sense of the word, because one thing is certain: The alleged conspirators met at the Landhaus Adlon in Potsdam on November 25, 2023. After considerable delay, Correctiv publishes an "investigation" into this meeting on 10 January 2024. On the same day, the Berliner Ensemble, one of the most renowned theaters in Germany, announces that it will stage the "drama" in a staged reading on 17 January (2). The director and actors are confirmed and the drama is officially sold out just one day later.
Our editorial team has written to the management and the artistic director of the Berliner Ensemble to find out how this remarkable cooperation took place in terms of time and content (6). If we receive a reply, we will publish both questions and answers without any judgment. If this does not happen, we will have to be patient until January 17. Incidentally, the Berliner Ensemble has announced in advance that it will reveal "further details" in the play. - Until then?

"We stand disappointed ourselves and look concerned / The curtain closed and all questions open."
Bertolt Brecht (co-founder of the Berliner Ensemble)