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Herbert Gantschacher critizes the lack of professionalism of media in cases of false informations

Five Page Of "Fake News" In Carinthia's Largest Daily Newspaper

2024.06.04
the school community committee can issue house rules that regulate the use of cell phones in schools

In its May 24th, 2024 edition, the Kleine Zeitung published five pages of "fake news" to use a buzzword from the rightextreme movement of Trumpissm. On the front page, on the bottom right, there is the headline "AUSTRIA The Russian army is also using weapons from Carinthia in the Ukraine war" and then refers to the report on pages 12/13. But the search for this report is in vain, because there is the headline for another report "A child does not simply starve to death." Our valued readers will not find the report on the highly topical issue of the use of Austrian weapons on the Russian side in the conflict in Eastern Europe in either the printed or online edition. It simply does not exist. Perhaps someone tried to make a critical text disappear from the newspaper unnoticed? This is the impression that arises, as well as the impression that the editor-in-chief responsible for the final editing did not check the content of the newspaper. In this case, the lack of professionalism of the final editor is to be thanked, because this is the only way of this obvious act of self-censorship can be made understoodable by making it public. And then the newspaper produces the next "fake news" with the cover story on the subject of "Social Media as a Danger of Addiction" with the demand "Get cell phones out of schools" and refers to the report on pages 36/37. Now, according to the law published as Austrian Federal Law No. 373 in 1974, there is already an order that "students may not bring objects that endanger safety or disrupt school operations" In addition, according to the School Education Act (Austrian Federal Law No. 472/1986), the school community committee can issue house rules that regulate the use of cell phones in schools. In Carinthia's schools, cell phones are used in class only if they are a subject of a proces of instruction and education. Otherwise, they are kept in a safe place during class time and may only be used again afterwards.

Herbert Gantschacher is Author, Director and Producer