Who controls German media and opinion power? – Exclusive preview of the 'Media Ownership Monitor' (MOM) Germany 2024

Since 2015, incubated by Reporters Without Borders, the 'Media Ownership Monitor' (MOM) has been published in 27 countries around the world and will be ready at the time of #rp24 to go live in Germany, too. Initially launched and still primarily designed as a media literacy tool for the general public, it is also being used with a regulatory angle in the field of media concentration control, as well to fight disinformation. Who owns the media and which economic, political and personal interests are affiliated with these individuals? This is the guiding question we follow to publish the answers via an easily accessible, bilingual website. It can help the average citizen to make a better informed decision regarding his or her daily news diet, but also civil society actors, academia and regulatory authorities to enhance media pluralism. Who cares? Well, this exclusive preview of this large scale investigation, on stage at #rp24, happens against the background of the European Media Freedom Act ante portas, that will oblige member states to provide a database on media ownership. This project is funded by the German Postcode Lotterie and supported by the Heinrich Böll Stiftung.