Far-right outlets shake up Austrian media
When Herbert Kickl announced that he had failed to form Austria's first far right-led government, two wildly different narratives of the coalition negotiations emerged in the media.
While traditional news outlets reported that disagreements over key posts and other issues led to the failure, influential new far-right channel AUF1 blamed a plot by the "global elite".
Kickl's far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) topped Austria's national election in September for the first time, winning almost 29 percent of the vote in a boost to Europe's burgeoning far right.
In January, the party was tasked by the president with leading coalition talks with the conservatives. But negotiations collapsed this month, and three pro-European parties have since resumed coalition talks.
With the FPOe demanding new elections, its historic success has shone a spotlight on the Alpine country's fast-growing new alternative media.
Known for spreading right-wing narratives and conspiracy theories, alternative news outlets have become increasingly popular in Austria, as they have in other European countries.
"All media lie, only some lie more," one participant at a far-right rally told Austrian daily Der Standard when asked why he trusts alternative news more than traditional media.
- 'FPOe media house' -
The Freedom party -- led by Kickl since 2021 -- recently bundled all of its media channels into the single "FPOe media house".
It comprises a successful YouTube channel, a newspaper, and TikTok and Facebook feeds. The YouTube channel alone has more than 230,000 subscribers and some 80 million views over the last three years.
With a centrally managed media house, the far right hopes to expand its "enormous reach", FPOe secretary general Christian Hafenecker told a presentation in January.
"We are truly present on all channels to provide the population with unfiltered and up-to-date information," he added.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, several regional media channels like AUF1 and RTV gained popularity and have thrived since.
"We were increasingly pushed into the right-wing corner because we reported on the protests" against the government's strict Covid measures, RTV managing director Christian Schott told AFP.
"Whether it's Covid or climate change, we do our own research, because the mainstream (media) is bought," he said.
AUF1, together with the smaller RTV, were the first outlets to interview Kickl after his party's election victory.
- Emulating the 'Hungarian model' -
Since the pandemic, AUF1 -- which like RTV has its roots in Upper Austria -- has become "a leading media outlet in the German-speaking conspiracy sphere," according to a government report.
Its founder Stefan Magnet has close links to the FPOe. He was present when the far-right party signed a "cooperation pact" with Vladimir Putin's United Russia party in 2016.
While AUF1 did not respond to a request for interview by AFP, another far-right media outlet, Info-Direkt did.
The channel publicly targeted AFP after receiving a written request, publishing the questions on its website.
Info-Direkt says it aims to address topics far-right voters are concerned about, including "population exchange, the sexual confusion of our children and climate hysteria", and "an end to war-mongering" in Ukraine.
The channel accuses established media of spreading "fake news" and says it focuses on "patriotic" content.
The FPOe's draft government programme included plans to cut funding to Austria's public broadcaster ORF, saying it was a symbol of "left-wing propaganda".
According to media expert Daniela Kraus, head of the Concordia press club, the FPOe seeks to "strengthen the parallel media universe" while targeting those who are "not aligned with its ideology".
Kraus also expressed concern about the "downward spiral of public discourse".
Kickl has repeatedly praised Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban as a "role model". Orban's government has clamped down on and transformed Hungary's media landscape during his 14 years in power.
"Orban has shown it's possible to create a real alternative. Why shouldn't we do the same?", Hafenecker said in January.
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