Hart aber fair on ARD was a bit unfair. The reason was moderator Frank Plasberg, who always interrupted one person in particular.
At Hart aber fair on ARD, yesterday evening it was not particularly hard and also a little unfair. Moderator Frank Plasberg was content to ask the group of Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU), Spiegel journalist Melanie Amann, the doctor Cihan Çelik, FDP General Secretary Volker Wissing and Left Party Chairman Janine Wissler different points of view. While he regularly interrupted Wissler, the rest of the group was able to present their respective positions largely undisturbed. Except for a few tips from Amann in the direction of the Minister of Health, there could hardly be any question of a dispute.
The round of inquiries at Hart but fair with Frank Plasberg on ARD began with a somewhat taken by surprise Jens Spahn, who quickly caught up after a “Are you asking me?” And pleaded for an abolition of the free corona tests. In a rare match between the Left and the FDP, Wissler and Wissing both spoke out in favor of keeping the free option for the moment. But Çelik also said that more can be achieved “with motivation and education” than by increasing the pressure on people who have not been vaccinated so far.
Hard but fair (ARD): Test options for vaccinated people should continue to exist
With regard to compulsory testing for those who had already been vaccinated, the group at Hart aber fair (ARD) agreed in their rejection of this measure. Spahn, who later spoke out against the allegations that politicians were deliberately dragging out the pandemic, summed up the consequences of the measures discussed: “If we continue to test vaccinated and unvaccinated people, then this pandemic will never end. “
Melanie Amann also made it clear with Hart but fair with Frank Plasberg on ARD that she does not believe in further tests for vaccinated people and that the abolition of free tests in areas of leisure time is the right signal. Nonetheless, she called for more courage to exert pressure to improve the vaccination rate and saw the parties’ caution on this issue in the current election campaign as justified. With regard to other measures to combat pandemic, Spahn got off with Amann less lightly. After he had defended himself to Wissler that fighting pandemic in schools was a state matter and was not part of the Ministry of Health, the Spiegel journalist pointed out that the quarantine rules in schools would definitely be his responsibility.
Wissing accuses Spahn of omissions at Hart but Fair on ARD
Wissing also accused Spahn of omissions at Hart aber fair (ARD) when he explained that the reasons for the sluggish vaccination campaign were not due to a general reluctance among parts of the population, but to the government’s lack of information. When Spahn countered him in detail about the various channels of distribution of the comprehensive information campaign, the FDP General Secretary could not find any objections.
| Surname | function |
| Jens Spahn (CDU) | Federal Minister of Health |
| Melanie Amann | Journalist, member of the Spiegel editor-in-chief and head of the Spiegel capital city office |
| Volker Wissing (FDP) | Secretary General |
| Janine Wissler (left) | Party leader |
| Cihan Çelik | Senior physician and specialist in internal medicine and pulmonology in the corona isolation ward at the Darmstadt Clinic |
At this point, perhaps the most impressive scene of the evening developed: When Amann spoke about combating fake news, Spahn listed some of the absurd conspiracy theories that were in circulation at Hart but fairly on ARD. “Don’t you do that with the chips?” Plasberg asked jokingly when Spahn alluded to the nonsensical claim that Bill Gates would use the vaccine to implant computer chips. Here you noticed how much the fear of misleading statements has already reached the minds of the politicians, who have not only been exposed to extreme hostility since the beginning of the pandemic, but also have to be careful not to make statements that they are even joking could later be misinterpreted. “Believe it or not” was all the Minister of Health hesitantly brought out before Plasberg, who had meanwhile realized the seriousness of the situation, made it clear again: “Irony never comes across on television.”
Hard but fair (ARD): “Freedom Day” wanted for vaccinated people
Afterwards, Spahn also made it clear at Hart aber fair (ARD) that it was above all concerns about an increasing social division that prompted him to position himself against compulsory vaccinations for certain professional groups. The audience reactions presented towards the end of the program also reflected this fear, but at the same time showed the displeasure of the vaccinated to continue to expose themselves to the dangers of people who decide against the vaccination.
Hard but fair in the media library
Did you miss the program on August 30, 2021? No problem, you can check the broadcast in the ARD media library.
In the end, Plasberg asked all those involved at Hart but fairly on ARD about their future prospects and the lessons from the pandemic. Amann wanted a “Freedom Day” based on the English and Danish model, but only for vaccinated people. Wissing spoke somewhat vaguely about fundamental rights, Wissler and Çelik agreed that the health sector had to be strengthened in the long term. Spahn, in whose area of responsibility this is currently still, however, rather warned to think about the dependence on China.
