DW's latest "fact check" prompts renewed uproar over biased coverage Questionable Gaza war portrayal weeks after S. Caucasus film

A new debacle has put another “fact check” by the German Deutsche Welle (DW) network under scrutiny. Just weeks after the broadcaster published a highly disputed report on the South Caucasus, its latest “fact check” on the Gaza war is now accused of relying on questionable sources, repeating activist narratives, and omitting crucial facts.

The latest questionable piece has prompted the German newspaper WELT to contact DW with a request to clarify several statements. While the piece was partially revised after that encounter, the WELT notes that the core problem in the report remains.

Although DW is part of the publicly funded ARD broadcasting network, it is not fully independent from the state. It is not financed through the German broadcasting fee but directly by the Office of the Federal Commissioner for Culture, with more than €400 million annually. This office is part of the German Chancellery.

According to WELT, DW could therefore be viewed as a media outlet “from inside the house of Chancellor Friedrich Merz.” The broadcaster describes itself by saying: “Our offerings present Germany as a liberal democracy rooted in European culture.”

The article in question, titled “Gaza-Krieg: Rassismus als Deutungsmuster” (“Gaza War: Racism as an Interpretative Framework”), appears to conflict with that mission. Critics argue it fits into a pattern of DW’s increasingly hostile coverage of Israel. The article combines political messaging with the claim that since October 7, 2023, there has been an escalation of “anti-Palestinian racism.”

DW bases this claim on a definition from an Arab-Canadian legal organization that effectively labels nearly any criticism of Palestinian conduct as racist.

After WELT contacted the broadcaster, DW edited several portions of the article. In the original version, the Hamas terror attack of October 7, 2023 was mentioned only in passing, while the date was primarily presented as the beginning of Israel’s killing of “at least 68,000 Palestinians.” In the updated version, DW at least acknowledges that Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis. However, the revised text still omits key context — including the fact that Israel declared war in response to Hamas terrorism and that Hamas operates from within civilian areas.

DW’s source for Palestinian casualty numbers is the website gazacasualties.org, run by a group calling itself “Tech for Palestine.” Its data is derived from another website operated by the same collective. The group is backed by Irish-American tech millionaire Paul Biggar. Yet neither Biggar nor the site explains where their numbers originate or who verifies them. DW likewise offers no explanation or critical evaluation, yet presents the figures as fact even in the revised version.

When WELT asked DW for clarification, many questions went unanswered or were responded to evasively. DW admitted: “Unfortunately, we must acknowledge that the article in the version published so far did not meet our journalistic standards.”

The WELT report questions whether the updated version meets those standards. DW has now added a subheading reading “What is anti-Palestinian racism?” and a new introductory sentence stating: “Anti-Palestinian racism is a controversial term, heavily criticized by researchers and Jewish institutions.” This wording only appeared after the media inquiry.

The office of Federal Culture Commissioner Wolfram Weimer commented only generally, saying it takes “indications of shortcomings in the journalistic work of Deutsche Welle” very seriously and expects “DW to conduct a thorough internal review.”

However, critics argue there is little reason to take this seriously. In recent years, DW has repeatedly been accused of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias without consequence. Last summer, several employees reported antisemitic tendencies inside the state-funded broadcaster, only for DW’s press office to strongly deny any bias — while the culture ministry remained silent.

By Nazrin Sadigova