Grüne on culture and media

The Greens want targeted support for local newspapers and investigative journalism, especially in villages and small towns. Funding would come in part from a levy on very large platforms.

The Greens want to help local newspapers and media. This matters most in villages and small towns. Very large internet platforms should pay a levy for this. People everywhere should get reliable news.

The program notes that after closures and newsroom cuts, many places lack independent reporting on local politics and administration. Besides the digital levy, it lists fair funding structures, stable conditions and cooperation. Media should not come under political or economic pressure. New digital outlets and community media are also seen as worth supporting.

The Greens commit to the continued existence and development of public broadcasting and to the MDR, the regional public broadcaster. At the same time, they want to cap top salaries there and increase transparency.

The Greens want to keep the MDR and public broadcasters. The highest salaries at the MDR should have a limit. The broadcaster should show more openly how it uses its money. It should offer more online.

Funding should follow the broadcasters' mandate. The program accepts the need for reform and savings but sees public broadcasting in the state under heavy political pressure. The MDR should strengthen its online and social media offerings. Regional and investigative reporting should be spared from cuts.

The Greens want to strengthen bodies that detect false reports and to limit the spread of disinformation. Freedom of expression is to remain untouched.

Some groups spread false news on purpose. The Greens see this as a danger to democracy. They want to strengthen groups that spot false news. Everyone should still be free to say what they think.

The program names extremist networks and foreign influence as sources of targeted disinformation. The Greens rely on transparency, public education and clear rules for dealing with such content. Diverse and independent media are seen as protection against manipulation.

The Greens see culture as an essential public service and reject cuts. At least 1.5 percent of the state budget would go to culture each year, culture would become a mandatory municipal task, and at the federal level it would be added to the constitution as a state objective.

The Greens do not want to cut money for culture. The state should spend at least 1.5 percent of its budget on culture every year. Towns and cities should be required to support culture. Once a month, museums should be free on a Sunday.

Culture is to become a legally required task for municipalities so that offerings from community arts to UNESCO World Heritage sites get lasting support. A funding program would help cultural venues become barrier-free, and a monthly museum Sunday would offer free admission. A central statewide advice office would help artists and cultural workers with grant applications and with digitalization, sustainability and project development. Application procedures are to become simpler and less bureaucratic.

The Greens want adequate long-term funding for theaters and orchestras and a temporary fund to clear the investment backlog at theaters. The independent arts scene would get considerably more money and multi-year contracts, and a dedicated state program is planned for community arts centers.

Theaters and orchestras should get reliable money from the state. There should be a special fund to fix theater buildings. Independent artists should get more support. Contracts should run for several years. This helps them plan ahead.

Funding is meant to allow for quality, diversity and fair working conditions, and the Greens will press for it in upcoming negotiations on the theater contracts. Project funding for independent theaters would rise step by step, with institutional funding for ensembles, venues and production sites as a long-term goal. The state program for Soziokultur (community arts) would have at least 500,000 euros. Support programs for artists would grow, especially in rural areas, with better access to studios, galleries and grants. Work and residency grants in the state and public access to artists' estates are also planned.

The Greens want to link heritage conservation more closely with energy retrofits so that historic buildings are preserved and made fit for the future. Architecture competitions are to become the norm for large public construction projects, and disused industrial sites are to be put to cultural use.

The Greens want to keep old buildings. These buildings should use less energy. Owners should get help with repairs. Old factories should become museums or places for culture.

The platform favors solutions that save energy while remaining compatible with heritage protection. Owners are to receive support for renovations, and new uses for protected buildings are to be promoted. For large public projects, architecture competitions are to become standard in order to foster quality, sustainability and architectural diversity. Former industrial sites are to be preserved, opened up and used as museums, places of learning or cultural centers.

The Greens want to revise the state's library law because working conditions and demands on libraries have changed considerably since the last reform in 2010. A new library development plan is to be drawn up quickly, and public libraries are to be allowed to open on Sundays.

The Greens want a new law for libraries. The old law is from 2010. Libraries should be allowed to open on Sundays. There should be more library buses.

The platform notes that a new library development plan was already approved at the Greens' request but has not yet been carried out by the state government. Access to libraries is to become easier, including through Sunday opening. Mobile services such as library buses and cooperation with schools are to be strengthened.

The Greens want to introduce a KulturPass 2.0 (culture pass) in Saxony-Anhalt that gives 18-year-olds a credit of 200 euros for cultural activities. The aim is for young people to be able to enjoy art and culture even when money is tight.

The Greens want a culture pass for 18-year-olds. Each person gets 200 euros for culture. The money can be used for concerts, theater and books. This way young people with little money can enjoy culture too.

The credit is to be valid for all cultural offerings, from clubs and concerts to theaters and museums as well as libraries and bookstores. Cultural venues are to get help setting up the technical requirements as simply as possible. Later the pass is to be developed further so that culture becomes easier to reach for financially disadvantaged groups.

The Greens want to expand cultural education from daycare through continuing education and to promote remembrance culture as part of it. They also call for more architectural culture in teaching, artist fellowships at universities and more youth cultural work.

The Greens want more culture in daycare and schools. Memorial sites and museums should get protection and money. They recall the Nazi era, East Germany and colonial times. Young people should get more places for their own culture.

Memorial sites, museums, archives and initiatives that recall Nazi crimes, injustice in East Germany or colonial history are to be strengthened and protected; provenance research in museums is to be kept. Architectural culture is to feature more in schools, vocational training and continuing education, and places such as museums, workshops or youth building workshops are to be funded. In schools, art projects, literature campaigns and a so-called Bildungs-Tafel are to be supported. Universities are to offer national and international artist fellowships, and cultural programs for young people are to be expanded.