Rubikon (website)

Rubikon is a German online magazine founded in 2017. It mainly deals with current political events, some of which are commented on in the form of conspiracy theories. The editor-in-chief is Jens Wernicke.

Rubikon
Type of site
Journalism portal
Available inGerman
OwnerJens Wernicke
URLwww.rubikon.news
CommercialYes
RegistrationNo
Launched2017
Current statusActive

Rubikon is operated by a non-profit company called Initiative zur Demokratisierung der Meinungsbildung (Initiative for the Democratization of Opinion Formation) and is based in Mainz.[1] Content on the website is written by independent journalists all over the world.[1] The website is entirely financed by donations.[2] All company shares are in the sole ownership of editor-in-chief Wernicke, who is also the sole managing director.[3] German publicist Wolf Wetzel, who wrote at Rubikon from its foundation until his departure in 2018, criticized this construction for having „eine[...] klare[...] Hierarchie“ ("a clear hierarchy"):[4] „Gesellschafter, Herausgeber, Geschäftsführer, Chefredakteur. Von »unten« gibt es kein Durchkommen, kein Gegengewicht, keine Form der »Gewaltenteilung«, keine Möglichkeit, den Kurs zu beeinflussen. Das Ganze hängt folglich ganz vom Goodwill des Herausgebers und Geschäftsführers ab, der sich gleichzeitig den Posten des Chefredakteurs zugedacht hat“ ("Shareholder, publisher, managing director, editor-in-chief. From »below« there is no getting through, no counterweight, no form of »separation of powers«, no possibility of influencing the course. The whole thing therefore depends entirely on the goodwill of the publisher and managing director, who has also intended to be editor-in-chief").[4] According to him, no effective influence is possible via the editorial statute.[4]

Cooperation with Ken Jebsen

Texts written by Rubikon editor-in-chief Jens Wernicke are distributed on Ken Jebsen's website KenFM. When Neues Deutschland wrote some questions to Jebsen in 2017, Jebsen did not answer, but passed them on to Rubikon. Contrary to journalistic standards, they were published there and provided with derogatory comments.[5]

Reception

Scientific reception

The Americanist Michael Butter puts Rubikon in the alternative media like KenFM, Telepolis or NachDenkSeiten, which would all form a counter-public to the traditional quality media and public broadcasting. They used conspiracy theories like that of the "lying press" and sold them as serious news.[6]

Journalistic reception

When the website was launched for three months in 2017, the journalist Christiane Enkeler told Deutschlandfunk that the magazine presented itself as „sehr heterogen“ ("very heterogeneous"). According to her, the critical analysis of leading media was successful. Overall, Rubikon would still be in development.[7]

Simon Hurtz referred to the website in the Süddeutsche Zeitung in 2020 as „Querfront-Magazin“ ("Third Position magazine").[8] Roger Schawinski calls it an „Internetportal mit Verschwörungstheoretiker-Groove“ ("Internet portal with a conspiracy theorist groove").[9]

According to Erik Peter from Die Tageszeitung, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rubikon became a platform for the conspiracy scene in Berlin that negated the danger of the virus.[10] Der Spiegel called Rubikon „eine Art Hausmedium der Protestler“ ("a kind of in-house media for protesters") around Anselm Lenz, in which „verschwörungsideologische Beiträge“ ("contributions to the ideology of conspiracies") were published again and again.[11]

References
  1. "Impressum | Rubikon". www.rubikon.news (in German). Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  2. "Online-Magazin "Rubikon": Zweifel in der eigenen Echo-Kammer". Übermedien (in German). 2020-06-25. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  3. Amtsgericht Mainz Handelsregister HRB 47255, accessed on July 18, 2020 at handelsregister.de
  4. "Über Macht- und Entscheidungsstrukturen „alternativer Medien"". Eyes Wide Shut (in German). 2018-02-13. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  5. Holland-Letz, Matthias. "Annäherung an ein Internet-Phänomen (neues deutschland)". www.neues-deutschland.de (in German). Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  6. Michael Butter: Verschwörungs(theorie)panik. „Filter Clash“ zweier Öffentlichkeiten. In: Heiner Hastedt (publisher): Deutungsmacht von Zeitdiagnosen. Interdisziplinäre Perspektiven. Transcript Verlag, Bielefeld 2019, ISBN 978-3-8376-4592-7, p. 197–211, p. 205 (accessed via De Gruyter Online).
  7. "Das Magazin "Rubikon" - Journalistischer Grenzgänger". Deutschlandfunk (in German). Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  8. Hurtz, Simon. "Falsch, aber faszinierend". Süddeutsche.de (in German). Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  9. Roger Schawinski: Verschwörung! Die fanatische Jagd nach dem Bösen in der Welt. NZZ Libro, Zürich 2018, p. 50 f.
  10. Peter, Erik (2020-03-31). "Corona und Verschwörungstheoretiker: Mit Grundgesetz gegen den Verstand". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). ISSN 0931-9085. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  11. "Deutschlands neue Wutbürger: Sturm der Lügen - DER SPIEGEL - Politik". www.spiegel.de (in German). Retrieved 2020-10-28.
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