Part 1 laid out the legal state of play: Three Sentences, Two Courts, No Final Judgment. What that piece could not do: describe the structure behind the investigation — the person, the awards, the money flows. These are not in the operative part of the Berlin ruling, but they explain why the investigation had such outsized impact.
Here are the verifiable facts.
The Reporter: “I Invent Stories” #
Jean Peters is a pseudonym. Behind the name stands an action artist, co-founder (2013) of the Berlin-based Peng! collective — a group that positions itself as “subversive action art” [1]. At the Potsdam meeting on 25 November 2023, Peters was not a distant observer but the undercover reporter on site at the Landhaus Adlon, listed by Correctiv as “lead reporter” on the Secret Plan investigation [2].
Until January 2024, his personal site jeanpeters.de carried, under the menu item “Tactical Media Work”, the following sentence:
“I develop actions and invent stories with which I intervene in political and economic events. Especially important: using the right media strategy to attract attention, stimulate public discourse, and thereby contribute to change.”
Documented in archived versions since at least July 2020 [3][4][5]. After the Potsdam investigation went live, the menu item was silently renamed one Sunday — “Tactical Media Work” became simply “Media Work”, and the passage was rewritten toward “investigative journalist at Correctiv”, without a correction note.
The sentence comes from a self-description as an action artist, not as a journalist. But it is the same author who shortly thereafter fronted a story that was received as factual reporting and triggered the largest post-war protest wave in Germany in 2024. Parallel commercial exploitation — a stage version of the investigation, labelled “Investigative Theatre” with director Calle Fuhr — began in 2024 [6].
The Awards: Five — Not Thirty #
Correctiv lists seven awards total on its own site for 2024, of which five are for the Secret Plan investigation [7]. The “more than 30” figure circulating in talk shows and on YouTube cannot be documented from public sources — most likely it sums nominations, impact awards and individual mentions.
| Award | Awarded by | Year | Prize money | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leuchtturm for outstanding journalistic achievement | netzwerk recherche e.V. | 2024 | not publicly disclosed | “Rarely has a single investigation had such an impact” |
| Journalists of the Year | Medium Magazin | 2024 | no prize money | team award |
| Carlo Schmid Prize | Carlo Schmid Foundation | 2024 | n/a | “strengthening democratic values” |
| Kassel Democracy Impulse | City of Kassel | 2024 | n/a | “broad public debate” |
| German-French Journalism Prize | DFJP Foundation | 2024 | historically €6,000 | “European topics” |
Sources: [7][8][9][10].
The laudation for the Leuchtturm was given on 20 July 2024 at the NR annual conference at NDR Hamburg by the journalist and jurist Özge Inan — documented on video [11]. Inan said “my blood ran cold”. The prize money of the Leuchtturm is not publicly disclosed by netzwerk recherche [12].
What circulates in wrong form: Correctiv was nominated for the Grimme Online Award 2024 for the Secret Plan investigation but did not win its category [13]. There is no Nannen Prize for Secret Plan (Correctiv’s last Nannen is 2019, for “Raped on Europe’s Fields”) [14].
Calls for revocation: No formal demand for the return or revocation of the Leuchtturm or the Kassel Democracy Impulse is documented in the sources reviewed. Criticism remains at the publicist level (Übermedien, NZZ, Berliner Zeitung) [15].
The Money: €2.5 Million Since Founding #
The primary source for Correctiv’s public funding is the reply by the federal government to the written question of AfD MP Leif-Erik Holm, cited by Nordkurier [16]. The government itself acknowledged “inaccuracies and gaps”. Documented items (rounded):
| Funder | Period | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb, under BMI) | cumulative | €373,000 |
| NRW State Chancellery | 2020–21 / 2022–23 | €591,000 + €507,000 |
| German Foundation for Engagement & Volunteering (BMFSFJ) | Greifswald youth desk + Salon5 | €142,000 + €98,000 |
| BKM (Claudia Roth) — project Local Journalism Qualify, Democracy Strengthen | 2022–23 | €199,000 |
| BMBF noFake consortium (RUB + TU Dortmund) | total €1.33m | €163,000 (Correctiv share 2024) |
| Demokratie leben! (BMFSFJ) | 2024 | €69,000 |
| Federal total | > €1.2m | |
| Total since founding in 2014 (federal + state) | ~€2.5m |
Correctiv itself states in its 2024 annual report that it is funded roughly 60% by private donations, 34% by foundations and the rest by public sources — and stresses that state funding flows “exclusively” into media education, not investigation [17][18]. That account can neither be falsified nor verified, because allocation between project budgets and overhead is not publicly broken down.
The YouTube claim of “€200,000 from BKM Roth” is therefore factually correct (€199,000, project Local Journalism Qualify, Democracy Strengthen), but it is one item of eleven.
“Merz Gives NGOs €10 Million More” — The Number in Context #
A second claim from the YouTube sphere: the Merz government has increased NGO funding by €10 million for 2026. That is true — but the context is missing.
- The relevant budget title grows via the increase to roughly €191 million total [19][20].
- The responsible ministry is BMFSFJ under Karin Prien (CDU), not SPD.
- The coalition agreement ties continuation to “impact review” and “restructuring” — not automatically to existing recipients.
- Correctiv is not named as an increase recipient in the relevant sources. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation is named.
Anyone drawing a direct connection “Merz gives Correctiv more money” omits that the increase runs through a different ministry and allocation is not finalised. As criticism of the overall direction of NGO policy, that is legitimate. As a factual claim “Correctiv gets more”, it is not supported.
The Losing Quartet: NDR, ZDF, SWR, KG Berlin #
The rulings directly against Correctiv were covered in Part 1. What Part 1 did not cover: follow-up proceedings against media that adopted the Correctiv investigation — and lost.
- NDR / Tagesschau: The Hanseatic Higher Regional Court prohibited the Tagesschau from stating a “deportation of German citizens” [21][22]. Vosgerau was the claimant.
- ZDF: In a separate proceeding, ZDF lost against Vosgerau over its interpretation of the Correctiv investigation [23].
- SWR: Named in the sources as a further loser; a separate case number is not disclosed in the available reports [23].
- Berlin Court of Appeal (KG): Confirmed, as last instance, that a critical fundraising call by Vosgerau against Correctiv is a permissible expression of opinion [24].
This matters because a broadcaster such as NDR or ZDF that adopts an investigation itself is liable for every sharpening. That public-service broadcasters adopted the Correctiv framing unchanged and lost final-instance rulings in several proceedings is a publishing track record of its own.
Böhmermann/Schönbohm as a Parallel Case #
The second YouTube claim to be tested: Jan Böhmermann lost a comparable case in court. The facts:
- Regional Court Munich I, judgment of 19.12.2024, case no. 26 O 12612/23. Schönbohm prevailed on four of five injunctive claims; the claim for monetary compensation was dismissed [25].
- Core finding: Satire requires “a true factual core”. Böhmermann’s rhetorical questions about Schönbohm’s alleged Russian-intelligence contacts via the association Cyber-Sicherheitsrat Deutschland e.V. did not function as open questions but as assertions — and were untrue.
- Munich Higher Regional Court, appeal: hearing 16.04.2026, judgment scheduled 19.05.2026. Presiding judge Günther Puhm called the research “sloppy” and a “severe violation of the right of personality”, and recommended that ZDF withdraw the appeal and make a public clarification [26][27].
- Timeline: broadcast 07.10.2022; Schönbohm was removed by Interior Minister Faeser from the BSI leadership in mid-October 2022; the administrative review concluded in May 2023 that the allegations were not substantiated [28]. Schönbohm has been President of the Federal Academy of Public Administration since 2025.
The parallel to the Correctiv case is structural: satire and investigative journalism are treated as journalistic forms of expression that nonetheless require a factual core. In both cases courts find that this core is partly absent.
Closing #
What this article does not do: conclude that Correctiv is “a lie” or that public funding should be stopped. Those are political demands, not factual conclusions.
What this article does: show that the structure behind the investigation is specific — an author with an action-art background who described himself as a story-inventor, a funding structure that is substantially also state-based, an award cluster that builds up around a single investigation within months, and a media ecosystem that has lost follow-up proceedings over the investigation.
Each of these building blocks requires explanation on its own. Together they do not form a simple picture. Neither collapse nor victory — rather a structure that has to be looked at, rather than reflexively confirmed or triumphantly demolished.
Open Research Gaps (Transparency) #
Open at the time of publication:
- Exact Archive.org snapshot URL for
jeanpeters.dewith the “I invent stories” sentence (documented from secondary sources; manual verification before publication) - Bundestag printed-paper number of the Holm written question
- Date of filing of the Correctiv appeal at the Berlin Court of Appeal
- Case number of the von Storch ruling at LG Berlin II
- Written reasons of the Berlin II ruling (case no. 27 O 379/25) — court press release 13/2026 notes: not yet available
Further Reading #
- Part 1: Three Sentences, Two Courts, No Final Judgment
- Follow the Money: Who Funds HateAid
- The Landecker Network: Who Pays Germany’s Opinion Gatekeepers?
- 72 Hours: How a Spiegel Cover Story Became a Rally of 13,000
Sources #
[1] Wikipedia: Peng! collective. de.wikipedia.org
[2] kress.de: The sweatpants played a key role — Correctiv reporter on his undercover assignment. kress.de
[3] NIUS: “I invent stories” — Correctiv activist Jean Peters deletes his tracks online. nius.de
[4] Junge Freiheit: Correctiv story-inventor quietly changes CV. jungefreiheit.de
[5] Reitschuster: Correctiv author: “I develop actions and invent stories”. reitschuster.de
[6] Nachtkritik: Investigative Theatre — Calle Fuhr and Jean Peters in interview. nachtkritik.de
[7] Correctiv: Awards. correctiv.org
[8] netzwerk recherche: Leuchtturm 2024. netzwerkrecherche.org
[9] DJV Hessen: Correctiv Potsdam investigation — City of Kassel prize. djv-hessen.de
[10] media.ccc.de (38C3): Correctiv investigation Secret Plan Against Germany — one year on. media.ccc.de
[11] Correctiv: Laudation by Özge Inan for the Leuchtturm 2024. correctiv.org
[12] netzwerk recherche: Leuchtturm overview (prize money not disclosed). netzwerkrecherche.org
[13] Grimme Online Award 2024: Correctiv nomination. grimme-online-award.de
[14] Wikipedia EN: Correctiv — Awards. en.wikipedia.org
[15] Übermedien: The Correctiv report deserves criticism, not prizes. uebermedien.de
[16] Nordkurier: €2.5 million in taxpayer money — how the federal government funds Correctiv. nordkurier.de
[17] Correctiv: Finances & funders. correctiv.org
[18] Statista: Correctiv — revenues from contributions 2024. statista.com
[19] Investment Week: More money for NGOs — government increases budget despite austerity. investmentweek.com
[20] NZZ: Merz must get the shadow state under control. nzz.ch
[21] LTO: Ulrich Vosgerau wins before the Hamburg Higher Regional Court (Tagesschau). lto.de
[22] Höcker law firm: Relying on Correctiv has a price — court confirms ban against Tagesschau. hoecker.eu
[23] LTO: Ulrich Vosgerau — AfD, Correctiv, Potsdam, right-wing extremism. lto.de
[24] Höcker law firm (blog): KG Berlin confirms Vosgerau’s critical fundraising call as final-instance permissible opinion. hoecker.eu
[25] LTO: LG München I 26 O 12612/23 — Schönbohm/Böhmermann. lto.de
[26] t-online: OLG Munich — Böhmermann ruling to be announced on 19 May. t-online.de
[27] Berliner Zeitung: ZDF loses at OLG Munich — Böhmermann/Schönbohm and the limits of satire. berliner-zeitung.de
[28] taz: Removed BSI chief spied on. taz.de
