Press release
German press watchdog issues public reprimand to WELT over misleading reporting on ClientEarth and other NGOs
18 December 2025
The German Press Council has issued a public reprimand to WELT for its reporting on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their funding. The Press Council was responding to complaints filed by ClientEarth and other organisations. A public reprimand is the most severe sanction available to the Press Council and must be published by the media outlet concerned in one of its upcoming editions. Until today, ClientEarth has not received confirmation that this obligation has been met.
Under headlines such as “Secret contracts – EU Commission paid activists for climate lobbying”, WELT reported on the funding of environmental NGOs, including ClientEarth, through the EU’s LIFE funding programme. It claimed that the European Commission had commissioned NGOs to carry out specific activities through “secret contracts”. WELT’s reporting was subsequently taken up by other media outlets. The Press Council criticised, among other things, the fact that organisations mentioned by name, including ClientEarth, were not given an opportunity to comment prior to publication of the article, as is customary in German press and considered part of the due diligence clause of the honor code of the “Presserat .
In fact, as is standard practice in such cases, ClientEarth submitted a funding application with a self-developed work programme (including activities aimed at improving the enforcement of EU environmental law), which was accepted by the European Commission and subsequently funded through the LIFE programme.
The Press Council’s complaints committee found that WELT’s reporting, as well as the failure to offer an opportunity to respond, constituted “a serious misleading of readers and a grave breach of journalistic due diligence”.
Dr Christiane Gerstetter, Managing Director of ClientEarth Germany, said:
“I was deeply concerned by how distortive a newspaper like WELT reported on the funding of NGOs such as ClientEarth. It is also alarming that other media outlets appear to have reproduced this reporting without proper verification – after all, they too have a duty of journalistic due diligence. Disinformation is currently a major societal problem, environmental policy is under pressure, and the civic space is shrinking. In such times, it is particularly important that the media fulfil their responsibility to report carefully and based on facts.”
“I therefore very much welcome the Press Council’s decision, which clearly establishes that WELT’s reporting on ClientEarth was misleading and constituted a serious breach of journalistic standards. Other media outlets that reproduced WELT’s reporting without verification, or reported in a similar manner, should also take note.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
About the Presserat:
The plenary session of the German Press Council deals with the elimination of abuses in the press and advocates unhindered access to news sources. It consists of 28 members. The German Press Council has developed its journalistic principles into a “press code,” a kind of code of honor for media representatives, which was first published in 1973 and last revised on March 22, 2017
If a press company in print or online media allegedly violates one or more of these journalistic principles, anyone can file a complaint with the Press Council. In its meetings, the committee decides whether the complaint is justified. It then has the option of taking the following measures:
A note: is sent to the editorial office concerned in the case of minor violations of the code, not made public.
Disapproval: is issued for more serious violations of the code, not made public. According to § 15 of the complaints procedure, there is no obligation to print disapprovals in the publications concerned. However, as an expression of fair reporting, the complaints committee recommends such an editorial decision.
Reprimand: The most severe sanction: the media outlet is requested to print a “public reprimand.” Non-public reprimands are issued for serious violations if further publication is prohibited for reasons of victim protection.
ClientEarth report about the threats to the civic space.
About ClientEarth
ClientEarth is a non-profit organisation that uses the law to create systemic change that protects the Earth for – and with – its inhabitants. We are tackling climate change, protecting nature and stopping pollution, with partners and citizens around the globe. We hold industry and governments to account and defend everyone’s right to a healthy world. ClientEarth teams in Europe, Asia and the USA work to shape, implement and enforce the law, to build a future for our planet in which people and nature can thrive together.