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[Satire] German public broadcaster under fire for leaking right-wing YouTuber’s identity

  • On May 9, ZDF aired an investigation hosted by Jan Böhmermann revealing the identity of Clownie, the right-wing YouTuber behind the channel Clownswelt.
  • The leak followed joint research by Böhmermann's program and Die Zeit, which identified Clownie through a Telegram photo and German metal band records.
  • Clownie, a 29-year-old metal guitarist from North Rhine-Westphalia, criticizes left-wing politicians and public broadcasters and has ties to the AfD party.
  • After the broadcast, Clownswelt’s subscribers rose from 227,000 to 390,000, while Böhmermann faced backlash calling Clownie a "right-wing extremist" and denying anonymity rights.
  • Critics accused ZDF of misusing public funds and violating free speech, with some likening the investigation tactics to those of totalitarian regimes.
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Berliner Zeitung broke the news in on Saturday, May 10, 2025.
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