Created in 1986 and operating in its current legal form since 2007, the Media Authority Hamburg / Schleswig‑Holstein (MA HSH) regulates private broadcasting and, since the 2020 Interstate Media Treaty, digital platforms and intermediaries. As part of its portfolio, it promises that “hate comments will be reported directly to the public prosecutor’s office as part of the Hamburg initiative OHNe Hass.” Director Eva-Maria Sommer has publicly stated that the authority seeks to give “no chance for fake news and disinformation,” framing its task as ensuring high editorial standards across digital platforms. MA HSH’s Scout magazine and associated workshops also target young audiences claiming to educate them in recognizing disinformation, while in 2025 it again promised tailored services for voters during the Bundestag election campaign. MA HSH’s enforcement and reporting actions complement its pedagogy; in 2021 it secured the removal or blocking of approximately 1,700 items and referred 58 cases to Hamburg prosecutors; in the first half of 2022, over 900 additional removals were logged.
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Media Authority Hamburg / Schleswig-Holstein (MA HSH)
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Commentary:
MA HSH exemplifies the expanded remit of Germany’s media authorities: from licensing broadcasters to regulating online discoverability and enforcing journalistic "care" obligations across digital platforms. Its claim to ensure "no chance for fake news" marks a rhetorical hardening, suggesting not mere moderation but a drive to eradicate contested or dubious content. Pedagogical programs such as Scout reinforce this ambition by training young users to reject material deemed manipulative, yet MA HSH’s parallel enforcement practice blurs lines between civic education and punitive action. Reporting alleged hate commentary directly to prosecutors, combined with automated monitoring of platforms, enables the authority to act both as censor and complainant. While its collaboration with police and media houses is presented as a civic safeguard, it evidently substitutes regulatory paternalism for open contestation of ideas, without providing transparent criteria for when alleged disinformation ends and dissent begins.
MA HSH exemplifies the expanded remit of Germany’s media authorities: from licensing broadcasters to regulating online discoverability and enforcing journalistic "care" obligations across digital platforms. Its claim to ensure "no chance for fake news" marks a rhetorical hardening, suggesting not mere moderation but a drive to eradicate contested or dubious content. Pedagogical programs such as Scout reinforce this ambition by training young users to reject material deemed manipulative, yet MA HSH’s parallel enforcement practice blurs lines between civic education and punitive action. Reporting alleged hate commentary directly to prosecutors, combined with automated monitoring of platforms, enables the authority to act both as censor and complainant. While its collaboration with police and media houses is presented as a civic safeguard, it evidently substitutes regulatory paternalism for open contestation of ideas, without providing transparent criteria for when alleged disinformation ends and dissent begins.
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