Headlines like “Apple surpasses 60% reduction in global emissions, moves closer to 2030 climate goal” sound impressive, and they are meant to. But it’s important to look beyond the headlines, because many readers never get past them. Big environmental numbers can easily give a misleading impression of how much progress a company has truly made.…
We decided to analyse the German and Polish media to find out what the countries think about the temporarily reintroduced border controls at the German border with Poland. Border controls were introduced on 16 October 2023 and have since been extended until mid-June 2024. We analyzed various articles. In the German media, we used well-known…
After spending weeks researching the Neptun Deep gas project, we kept returning to the same question: Why is Romania investing billions in fossil fuels when it could lead in clean energy instead? At first glance, Neptun Deep looks like progress: a huge offshore project, promising jobs, growth, and “energy independence.” But when you look closer,…
The gender wage gap remains one of the most persistent indicators of inequality in the global labor market. According to a report by OECD, “Gender gaps in paid and unpaid work persist”, women are less likely than men to be employed, to work part-time, to put in fewer hours at paid jobs, and to put…
An American’s comparative analysis on Germany and the United States’ climate policies to see the different ways we are coming together to reach climate neutrality and curb climate change. As an American studying abroad in Germany, there are many similarities and differences I have seen in the cultural day-to-day life. One thing that is vastly…
In addition to critically questioning the source, journalists must also learn to interpret statistics correctly. A basic knowledge of statistics is usually enough. Fake statistics At the beginning of April, a graphic relating to the Russian recapture of the Kursk region appeared on the messenger service Telegram. The supposed graphic from Statista shows how many…
Populism thrives on simple messages in complex times. Political scientist Andreas Klee explains to Sophie Hecker and Nike Tecklenborg why populist strategies—provocative, oversimplified, and emotionally affirming—resonate so strongly, and what they mean for the future of democracy. The Definition of Populist Communication Tecklenborg: Let’s start with a basic question: What are typical features of populist…
A network of websites is spreading AI-generated clickbait in many languages. It looks like harmless entertainment but often includes unverified health tips and misleading content. Linked to domains in Russia and admins in Armenia, this network uses AI and anonymity to quietly misinform people across countries. As part of our investigation into inauthentic networks in…
Even though the pandemic is over, coordinated networks of Facebook pages and websites continue to exploit people’s health fears to drive traffic and generate revenue. Modern digital platforms enable groups to build networks of websites and Facebook pages that look independent but work together. These networks may have various goals – from political influence to…
When it’s election time, the internet suddenly feels like a marketplace full of voices – loud, excited, and contradictory. During the German federal elections in February 2025 we experienced how difficult it is to keep track. Between loud promises and emotional appeals, facts quickly become blurred. In this blog post, we take a closer look:…