The Prevalence of Foreign Media in German Culture

Upon hearing Germans talk about American news media in general – the political tendencies of large newspapers and their standpoints on certain subjects, but also the limited news focus related to the narrow coverage by the regional press – Americans are often dazzled by how well informed Germans seem to be about the state of American news media. The general prevalence of foreign media in Germany, though, is a simple fact for most. In addition to being part of the press review in every serious newspaper or radio format, reports from the British and American news press find their way into various news formats.

As a further aspect, the social media contributes to the prevalence of American and British media worldwide when platforms like facebook distribute news of any kind to a large audience via the means of personal networks. Thus, articles from newspapers like the Guardian (British), but also from periodicals like the New Yorker (American) get transmitted to a German audience who besides reading content their friends suggested on their timeline will be surrounded by yet more foreign media.

Moreover, when influential events like the American elections or the vote on Brexit draw near, the German press – and thus the German society – pays close attention to the respective country’s media coverage of the events. Other instances that are being followed closely include the American or British stance on global matters. The news’ perspective then serves as a means to analyze the position of a country’s society in order to better understand reactions and standpoints.