The ''Junge Freiheit'' (JF, "Young Freedom") is a German

weekly newspaper A weekly newspaper is a general-news or Current affairs (news format), current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and electronic publishing, digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly new ...

on politics and culture that was established in 1986. It has been described as

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...

nationalistic Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: T ...

and as the "ideological supply ship of

right-wing populism Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right-wing nationalism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics and populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti-elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establi ...

" in Germany.

History

''JF'' was founded by students in

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population o ...

in May 1986 on the initiative of the 19-year-old Dieter Stein. The founders described the newspaper as a reaction to the "dominance of the leftist 68.Generation" among university teachers. In 1993, the newspaper moved its headquarters to

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

, near Berlin, and to Hohenzollerndamm, Berlin, in 1995. In 1994, a printing site for the JF in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

was firebombed by

far-left Far-left politics, also known as the radical left or the extreme left, are politics further to the left on the left–right political spectrum than the standard political left. The term does not have a single definition. Some scholars consider ...

terrorists Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

, with damage totalling 2.5 million

marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members * Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel ...

. The paper moved to Berlin a few years later, where it has been published ever since. ''JF'' had a circulation of 31,161 paid copies in the first quarter of 2020, which was an increase of 28 percent relative to the first quarter of 2015. In 2016, the British weekly magazine ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...

'' noted the grown reputation and influence of ''Junge Freiheit'' amid the surge of the

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist * * * * * * * political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. I ...

and concluded that "the presence of a right-wing voice in Germany’s media landscape is part of the country’s path to political normality".

Issues and style

The ''JF'' has one section for

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

, one for

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

and for

foreign affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...

and pays less attention to economics. There is a substantial number of opinions and commentaries, including weekly opinion columns. Every week, the paper also conducts an interview with a prominent politician, author, scientist or artist.

Ruling

''JF'' was involved in a legal battle relating to the

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...

against two local State Offices for the Protection of the Constitution in which the newspaper was represented by its lawyer and frequent supporter, the former German Attorney-General

Alexander von Stahl Alexander von Stahl (born 10 June 1938 in Berlin) is a German lawyer, liberal politician and civil servant. He served as Attorney General of Germany from June 1990 until July 1993. Before he was appointed Attorney General, he served as an Under-S ...

( FDP). The Offices for the Protection of the Constitution in two federal states,

North Rhine Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabi ...

and

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, mentioned ''Junge Freiheit'' in their yearly reports of alleged "anti-constitutional activities" between 1995 and 2005, along with most publications and organizations affiliated with the Left Party. The newspaper successfully sued the North Rhine Westphalia local authorities, and the

Federal Constitutional Court of Germany The Federal Constitutional Court (german: link=no, Bundesverfassungsgericht ; abbreviated: ) is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established by the constitution or Basic Law () of Germany. Since its inc ...

ruled the classification to be unconstitutional in 2005 (the so-called "Office for the Protection of the Constitution report case" or "''Junge Freiheit'' Case"). Since then, neither state's report has mentioned the newspaper.

: ''Kampf um die Pressefreiheit. Chronologie eines Skandals. Die Verfassungsbeschwerde der Wochenzeitung 'Junge Freiheit' wegen Verletzung der Meinungs- und Pressefreiheit durch Verfassungsschutzberichte des Landes NRW.'' Reihe Dokumentation, Edition JF, Berlin 2003/2004, Band 5-7

People

The founder and

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

and managing director of ''JF'' is Dieter Stein. Its prominent contributors include Holger Zastrow,

Wolf Jobst Siedler Wolf Jobst Siedler (17 January 1926 – 27 November 2013) was a German publisher and writer. Life Born in Berlin, he studied at the Freie Universität and worked as a journalist. His publishing house ''Wolf Jobst Siedler Verlag'' was bought ...

Frederick Forsyth Frederick McCarthy Forsyth (born 25 August 1938) is an English novelist and journalist. He is best known for thrillers such as ''The Day of the Jackal'', ''The Odessa File'', '' The Fourth Protocol'', '' The Dogs of War'', ''The Devil's Alter ...

Alain de Benoist Alain de Benoist (; ; born 11 December 1943) – also known as Fabrice Laroche, Robert de Herte, David Barney, and other pen names – is a French journalist and political philosopher, a founding member of the Nouvelle Droite ("New Right"), and ...

Paul Gottfried Paul Edward Gottfried (born November 21, 1941) is an American paleoconservative political philosopher, historian, and writer. He is a former Professor of Humanities at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. He is editor-in-chief of the paleocons ...

, Elliot Neaman,

Rolf Hochhuth Rolf Hochhuth (; 1 April 1931 – 13 May 2020) was a German author and playwright, best known for his 1963 drama '' The Deputy'', which insinuates Pope Pius XII's indifference to Hitler's extermination of the Jews, and he remained a controversial ...

Ralph Raico Ralph Raico (; October 23, 1936 – December 13, 2016) was an American libertarian historian of European liberalism and a professor of history at Buffalo State College.Derek Turner Derek Turner (13 November 1932 – 31 July 2015), also known by the nickname of "Rocky", was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. ...

, Billy Six,

Klaus Rainer Röhl Klaus Rainer Röhl (1 December 1928 – 30 November 2021) was a German journalist and author, best known as founder, owner, publisher and editor-in-chief of ''konkret'', the most influential magazine on the German political left from the 1960s to ...

and

Fritz Schenk Fritz Schenk (10 March 1930, Helbra – 4 May 2006, Frankfurt am Main) was a German publicist, journalist and television anchorman. He became well known for the general public thanks to his participation in '' ZDF-Magazin''. Family Schenk was ...

. Its prominent public supporters include also

and

Peter Scholl-Latour Peter Roman Scholl-Latour (9 March 1924 – 16 August 2014) was a French-German journalist, author and legendary reporter. Biography Peter Scholl-Latour, who was born in the Province of Westphalia and grew up in Lorraine, was the son of dermat ...

Gerhard Löwenthal Prize

Together with the German "Foundation for Conservative Education and Research" (), ''Junge Freiheit'' awards the Gerhard Löwenthal Prize, a biannual prize for conservative journalists.

References

External links

*
Online archive of Junge Freiheit
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Junge Freiheit 1986 establishments in West Germany Media of Neue Rechte German-language newspapers German nationalism National conservatism New Right (Europe) Newspapers published in Berlin Newspapers established in 1986 Right-wing newspapers Right-wing populism in Germany Weekly newspapers published in Germany