MDR

New Medienrat Appoints Beatrice Sauerbrey Managing Director

Beatrice Sauerbrey was appointed managing director of the newly created German Medienrat on 15 August 2026 and will lead the establishment of its office at the Bauhaus‑Universität Weimar. The Medienrat, created under the Reform State Treaty (Reformstaatsvertrag) that entered into force in December 2025 and constituted in April 2026, is a six‑member expert panel charged with reviewing whether ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio fulfil their legal mandates and publishing recommendation reports every two years; Nathalie Wappler was elected chair. To avoid conflicts of interest Sauerbrey has resigned her chairmanship and mandate on the MDR Broadcasting Council’s Program Committee Leipzig. Her background includes studies in media and intercultural business communication and a 2015–2024 role as parliamentary manager and European policy spokesperson for Bündnis 90/Die Grünen in Thuringia.

MDR Warns of Fake Videos Linked to 'Matrjoschka' Campaign

The Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) has warned that fake videos styled to look like MDR content are circulating as part of a wider disinformation campaign dubbed "Matrjoschka." Germany's domestic security agency (BfV) reported increased information-manipulation activity ahead of regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Berlin Abgeordnetenhaus, attributing the campaign to actors likely operating from Russia. MDR says it has a dataset of 338 suspicious posts, some bearing the MDR logo though not produced by the broadcaster. Several established German media brands have been impersonated, and MDR’s editor-in-chief condemned the attack on journalistic credibility.

WDR and MDR to present 'Mauerjahre' via AR app

German public broadcasters WDR and MDR are developing an augmented-reality app called "OstWest Zeitzeugen - Mauerjahre in AR" to let young people virtually meet eyewitnesses of the 1961 Berlin Wall construction and ask them questions. The project, developed again with Hochschule Düsseldorf, aims to make German division history emotionally accessible and to counter false narratives. MDR-intendant Ralf Ludwig and WDR-intendantin Katrin Vernau highlighted the app's educational value and its role in engaging students. Partner schools in Cologne, Bergheim, Neuss, Halle and Leipzig were involved in conception. The initial app version is planned for release around the 65th anniversary of the Wall; user-submitted questions from students will inform an update, and additional chapters are scheduled to roll out through 2029.