A short example is this sentence: “The one who only thinks from the present, freezes in short-term thinking and loses strategic depth.” It was previously almost literally in a text by the scientist Florence Gaub. Descriptions of extreme weather conditions as a catalyst for conflict and something as simple as a listing of wooden flats have also been copied from other media without citing the source.
Baerbock rejects the criticism. She says she didn’t want to write a science book. “Yes, there are ideas from others in my book. But there is no copyright infringement anywhere.”
witch hunt
Where she apologized extensively for the mistakes in her resume, and said “the last thing I want is to pretend to be bigger than I am”, she now chooses the attack. She’s talking about fake news. From her party, the wording is even sharper. According to them, there is “defamation” and a deliberate “propaganda war” to destroy Baerbock’s reputation.
It is precisely that defense that she now faces a lot of criticism. Aside from the brief statements above, she declined to comment on the allegations. By dismissing the plagiarism allegations as a witch hunt, she is making herself too easy, say many opinion makers.
The right-liberal newspaper Die Welt writes: “In their election manifesto, the Greens write that they will conduct the campaign with facts and arguments. I hope they will start with that soon. Baerbock may not be the right candidate for that. “
‘Baerbock, it’s over’
Bild and die Welt have been very critical of Baerbock from the start of the campaign, but after this mistake, left-wing media also lashed out. The TAZ, which also falls on the mat with many Greens voters, writes: “Baerbock, it’s over”.
According to columnist Silke Mertens, the party leader can no longer win the elections, because her credibility has been damaged too much. Mertens urges Baerbock to relinquish her place to her co-party chairman: “Robert Habeck has everything that Baerbock lacks”, says Mertens. “He has government experience, he can deliver speeches without slipping his mouth and has written his own books.”
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