The howler monkey of the lying press: How to "save" journalism with screams and standing orders#
Welcome to the golden age of “gonzo journalism” – or at least what a former 14-year-old “Truther” means by it. Appearance: Matthäus Westfal, better known on the Internet as "Activist Man". While real journalists research, check facts and verify sources, Mr. Westfal has discovered a far more efficient business model for himself: He takes a camera, stands next to AfD politicians such as Ulrich Siegmund and reliably holds his hand after filming.
Call for donations instead of research#
The concept is as simple as it is lucrative. As a digital escort of the AfD, you move through Saxony-Anhalt and film everyone who can't run away fast enough. Under every Telegram post, the IBAN and the PayPal link with the discreet note: "Free gift" will then be displayed completely selflessly. Who needs a permanent position when you can have the political culture war financed by the loyal followers on a permanent basis?
And because such a fight for the "truth" is exhausting, you need methods. The activist's preferred technique? The total disregard of the physical pain threshold. When real Spiegel TV reporters appear, the argument is not made, but loudly escalated and pushed. It is the rhetorical capitulation to one's own emptiness of content: if you have nothing to say, you have to shout louder than everyone else.
Rumors in the dark: Of body odor and sticky closeness#
But the public profile of the screaming activist is flanked in the scene by a very own rumour mill. As he mimics the fearless alpha reporter on YouTube, persistent, unflattering narratives surround his persona, rounding off his behavioral profile.
The olfactory combat zone: Observers and involuntary interlocutors regularly report a physical presence that is not only noticeable by volume, but also by acute olfactory harassment. Those who impose themselves physically on journalists should perhaps evaluate the concept of toothpaste and soap beforehand. Bad breath as a political statement? An interesting, albeit unappetizing, approach.
The cause of detachment: Equally unpleasant are the circulating reports of his cross-border behaviour towards young women. Whether at events or in direct contact – the boundary between "activism" and simple assault seems to be fluid in his personal coordinate system.
Even if these accusations are legally difficult to grasp, they paint a coherent picture of a man who has massive deficits in distance maintenance not only politically, but also socially.
Conclusion: The Business Model of Outrage#
At the end of the day, "Activist Man" is not an intellectual danger, but a symptom. A symptom of an attention economy in which one is sentenced to a 4,200-euro fine for incitement to hatred and records this as a seal of approval for his loyal followers. He is the incarnate comment column troll who made the leap into the physical world.
It's not journalism. It's an embarrassing live-action roleplay for donation subscriptions, where the only truth is: yelling doesn't replace arguments – and deodorant would be an excellent investment on occasion.