Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Plagiarism at Magazine He Founded
Berlin – German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer is under pressure following accusations that texts published by “The European,” a magazine founded by Weimer and now run by his wife, were taken from other sources. The controversy erupted after Weimer publicly criticized American and chinese tech companies for what he termed “vampiristic” exploitation of creative potential in the development of artificial intelligence.
Weimer,who previously served as editor-in-chief of “Welt,” “Focus,” and “Cicero,” founded Weimer Media Group in 2012,wich includes “The European.” His appointment as Minister of State for Culture and Media led to his wife assuming leadership of the company. The current allegations center on the sourcing of content within the magazine,raising questions about editorial standards and potentially undermining the minister’s recent critique of intellectual property practices in the tech industry. The extent of Weimer’s knowledge of the alleged text sourcing is currently unknown.
“The European” has responded to the accusations, stating it has been subject to attacks from the far-right and that publishing political speeches with source attribution is standard practice. The magazine acknowledged instances where sourcing may have been missing and expressed regret,attributing editorial responsibility to the respective chief editor. Following the reports, the publication removed all author profiles to review their history, according to publisher Ansgar Graw, who spoke with ”T-Online.”
Weimer had previously described the training of AI as a process where companies “suck the creative potential out of countless clever minds, using their ideas and feelings, their creative power, their visions, in a vampiristic way.” The unfolding situation presents a potential conflict between his public stance on intellectual property and the practices occurring at a publication he established. further inquiry is needed to determine the scope of the alleged plagiarism and Weimer’s involvement.
