German media acted as cheerleaders for Angela Merkel, the study says

German media lost its objectivity during the influx of a million migrants and contributed to deep divisions in society by ignoring legitimate concerns, a hard-hitting academic study will say today.

Daily newspapers took on the role of public educators for Angela Merkel’s “welcoming culture” and failed in their role to scrutinise and cover all views, according to the report led by a former senior editor at Die Zeit weekly newspaper.

Mainstream media suppression of critical voices and its suspicion that those who did not support government policy were xenophobic helped drive some Germans into more extreme opposition, the report will say.

“A great proportion of journalists misjudged their professional role and neglected the investigative function of the media,” said Michael Haller, the editor who wrote