Der Spiegel Names AfD Candidate Ulrich Siegmund Germany's Most Dangerous Man
2 sources · Germany
Who reported this
- Sueddeutsche Zeitung
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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Every source for this story reports from Germany.
Der Spiegel has featured Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD lead candidate for the state elections in Saxony Anhalt, on its cover with the title: The most dangerous man in Germany. The cover depicts a passport style photo of the 35 year old politician against a black background. According to reports, the magazine's accompanying story details links between Siegmund's political success and former members of the banned right wing extremist group Heimattreue Deutsche Jugend. Specifically, the report mentions that his faction's press spokesperson, Patrick Harr, and legal counsel, Laurens Nothdurft, were active in the HDJ and could hold high state positions if the AfD wins. Siegmund has described the cover as a knighting. A center left perspective frames the cover as a contradiction between Siegmund's friendly appearance and the magazine's apocalyptic warning. A center right perspective suggests the cover may backfire by acting as a promotional poster that stylizes Siegmund as a most wanted person, potentially attracting voters who view the magazine as a representative of West German interests.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- The outlet focuses on the irony of the candidate's sympathetic appearance compared to the magazine's dire warning.
- Centre-right
- The outlet argues that the dramatic framing of the cover may inadvertently serve as a campaign tool for the candidate.
Sources
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