Who asked Elon? Mask article on far right Af D – Threats from Welt and resignations of journalists

What really happened before his article was published in Welt? Who asked the eccentric businessman for an opinion article about her far-right AfD? Der Spiegel magazine reveals everything that preceded the publication of Trump’s close associate article on Welt. It is recalled that in his article Elon Musk invites Germans to vote for the far-right “Alternate for Germany” (AfD), describing it as the “last spark of hope” for Germany, which “is on the brink of economic and cultural destruction”. CORVERSE According to the magazine, the selection of the Welt leadership team to publish Elon Musk’s article caused intense reactions inside the newspaper. After publication of the text, the head of the opinion articles section Eva Marie Cogel also made known that she had already submitted her resignation. “The fact that ‘Welt’ had to be given space for Musk in order to analyze his cynical position caused irritation. Even more so, when the early editors found that this was an article that would be called leniently simple. The fact that Musk used exaggerations, that he gave almost no verifiable argument for his claim except weak airs, for example how the candidate chancellor of AfD Alice Weidell, as a homosexual living with her Sri Lankan companion, could not seriously remind anyone of Hitler. “A editor-in-chief would have been shocked by this during the processing process,” comments the magazine and reveals that there have been several editorial efforts to change the leadership decision. On 26 December, 50 editors sent an e-mail to the leading group asking her not to publish the article, arguing that it would harm WELT’s reputation and that it is inconsistent with the code of conduct of Axel Springer publishing house, where it is stated that “we reject political and religious extremism and all forms of racism and sexual discrimination.” Robin Alexander, a member of the newspaper’s editorial team, in his written response to the message, appealed to the leadership to take the position of workers seriously. “These are your people. These are Welt, and they are just right,” he stressed. The next day, when some editors stated that they would distance themselves from the decision to publish the article, the leadership, according to Spiegel, “is said to have threatened them that they should then live with the consequences. ” Spiegel also notes that who asked Elon in the first place Mask to write the opinion article on Welt remains a secret. The magazine however recalls his relationship with the head of Axel Springer publishing house, to which Welt and Bild, Mathias Depfner belong among others. In 2020 he had interviewed Elon Musk and described him as the “greatest visionary on the planet”. In 2022 Depfner had tweeted: “Why don’t you buy it? We’ll run it for you. And we will create a real platform for free expression.” “Interesting idea”, Elon Musk had replied. “I mean it seriously. It’s possible. It’s going to be fun,” Deffner came back. In 2024 the head of the powerful German publishing house celebrated his 60th birthday, with Elon Musk among the guests. “There is today among Welt’s editors the concern that the publisher is now more than previously willing to sacrifice his journalistic business for his private connections. The debate is like gasoline for a long-burned house”, writes Spiegel and states that a few weeks ago, Axel Springer announced his intention to merge Welt’s editorial staff with that of the German branches of his subsidiaries in the US, Business Insider and Politico, without clarifying exactly what the editors will do in the future, but suggesting that there will be a reduction in jobs.