Germans and Crisis Actors

Late yesterday, via ARD (public TV in Germany, Channel One), they came to introduce 'crisis actors' to the German public.  First time ever, as far as I know....where the American-trend-topic has been openly discussed.

Reason?  Well...this shooting episode in Florida.  One of the survivor-kids had been in another public video months prior, and there's some belief that he does crisis acting on the side.  Neither groups, the defenders and the critical folks, have openly proven much of anything on this one single episode.  If they find a second episode that he's been in front of the camera, then I might be more critical myself.

So they put the story under Faktfinder....a compartment of ARD where it's supposed to hinder or prevent fake news.  Once ARD says this total-absolute fact-based piece on Faktfinder.....that's the end of potentially fakeness.  Well, that's what ARD tends to suggest.

The basic ARD story?  They lay out the kid, the story, and the accusation.  No, they say he's simply not a crisis actor.

So, you go onto the next page....the comments page.  One of the first comments that comes up.....a German asks the correct question, how is it that crisis actors exist?  Were there 'ever' crisis actors?  That's something that ARD will probably skip because it does present several issues when you admit they've been used by US networks, and they might have 'accidentally' (best word to use with a German) appeared on ARD or ZDF telecasts where they used a US feed for their news coverage.  Neither of the networks would like to admit that such a thing exist and they might have used them.

As you page down through the private comments, you notice this other commentary.....that maybe Faktfinder is fake as well? 

German use of crisis actors?  I doubt it.  There might be cases where you have some foundation or lobby group guy appear often to discuss topic 'X', but they are an expert on the subject.  But for an 'on-the-scene' type interview?  You rarely if ever see this with regular people.  German journalists tend to view other journalists.  Some might laugh about that strategy but you rarely see a private citizen at some German bridge collapse, and being interviewed by the ARD or ZDF reporter. 

So this brings me back around to the US trend....crisis acting.  It's occurred in the past, and various networks have done it.  When they've been caught....the networks tend to be highly embarrassed and can't believe that this occurred.  All of this leads onto skeptical views of journalism by Americans....something that a German simply can't believe.