ZDF Journalist admits โคError in Reporting on Charlie Kirk, โRight-Wing โActivist Killed in Utah
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Berlin/Washington D.C. – A firestorm of criticism erupted after ZDF correspondent โขElmar Theveรen falsely attributed inflammatory statements to the late Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old โright-wing activist who was fatally shotโ in Utah earlier this month. Now,theveรen has โpublicly acknowledged his mistake and โฃissued an apology.
“What I said,he didn’t say that way. Therefore it wasโ wrong, and that’s why I apologize,” โขTheveรen stated on โthe ZDF podcast “Der Trump-Effekt,” as first โreported โคbyโ the German news portal Nius.
The day following theโ shooting of the Trumpโ supporter, Theveรen claimed Kirk had stated, “Homosexuals should be stoned.” He now admits this was a misrepresentation. “Itโ was, โfirstly, truncated, and through that truncation, it was false,” he explained.
[Image of Donald Trump and Charlie Kirk with caption: US President Donald Trump (79) had a supporter in Charlie Kirk (โ 31, r.). The activist was shot at an event on a university campus in the US state of utah on September 10th. Photo: picture alliance/AP Images]
Theveรen Attributes Error to “Self-Assurance”
The out-of-context โclip of Kirk’s โstatement circulated widely on social media.Inโ reality, Kirkโข was discussing a biblical passage prescribingโฃ the death penalty for male same-sex relationsโ – in order to illustrate the dangers of taking scripture literally. Heโฃ wasโ responding to a question about whether the Bible’sโ commandment to loveโค one’s neighbor implied acceptance of same-sex relationships.
Theveรen’s apology included aโ degreeโค of self-criticism. “I misrepresentedโ it.that may have something to do with having a certain self-assurance in the situation,” โhe conceded.
Theveรen โขAligns with Kirk’s Widow’s Message of Forgiveness
The ZDF journalistโ also expressed his emotional response to โขthe memorial service forโ Charlie Kirk. “And the widow said there,โ the answer to hate isโ not hate. The answer is love.”
This admission comes amidst heightened scrutiny of โขmedia accuracy,โฃ notably when reporting on politically charged events and figures. The