ZDF Cuts Article After Musk Legal Warning for Legal Reasons
German broadcaster ZDF removed claims that Elon Musk called for a "hunt on migrants" from a Belfast riots program after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the billionaire's lawyer.
German public broadcaster ZDF has altered segments of a program about Belfast riots after receiving a legal cease-and-desist letter from Elon Musk, removing claims that the tech billionaire called for a “hunt on migrants.”
The June 12 edition of “ZDFheute live” originally featured an introduction stating that a racist mob hunted migrants in Belfast after being called to do so by a British far-right extremist and tech billionaire Elon Musk, according to Nius. The broadcaster has now cut the relevant section from its media library, displaying a notice that the edit was made for legal reasons.
Musk commissioned German attorney Joachim Steinhöfel to send the formal legal challenge demanding a cease-and-desist declaration from the state-funded broadcaster. The lawyer’s letter categorically rejected the accusation, stating that the claim Musk had called for a hunt on migrants by a racist mob was demonstrably false.
Steinhöfel characterized the broadcast as a drastic violation of journalistic standards and described the statement as a defamatory and slanderous insinuation against his client. The legal action forced ZDF to remove the disputed passage and issue a declaration ceasing such claims.
In an official press release, ZDF confirmed it received the cease-and-desist demand through a German law firm regarding the opening moderation of the June 12 broadcast titled “Riots in Belfast – How Musk Fuels the Protests.” The broadcaster acknowledged it submitted the requested declaration and removed the controversial passage from the introduction.
ZDF also stated it had added a corrective transparency notice to the program on the preceding Saturday, before formally altering the content in response to the legal demand. The controversy marks another flashpoint in tensions between Musk and European legacy media outlets over coverage of migration-related unrest.
The German public broadcaster, funded through mandatory household fees, has faced growing criticism over editorial standards and political bias in recent coverage of social unrest across Europe. The swift legal response from Musk’s team and ZDF’s immediate compliance underscore the broadcaster’s vulnerability to defamation claims when making unsubstantiated accusations against public figures.
With information from Nius
