Spying on journalists
The week's news at a glance.
Berlin
For years, Germany’s foreign intelligence service has been keeping files on journalists, a government report revealed. The BND, Germany’s version of the CIA, paid certain journalists to spy on their colleagues and find sources of leaks, the report said. The program started in the 1980s because of leaks about ineptitude in the BND itself. Some of the spies worked at Germany’s most prestigious publications, including the venerable magazine Der Spiegel. Germany’s parliament was already investigating the BND over allegations that two German spies in Baghdad gave information to the U.S. before the Iraq war; it will now also look at the new charges. “It is an incredible scandal,” said Hubert Burda, president of an association of newsmagazines. The government ordered the BND to halt the program.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Selfies ban in art galleries: a sign of the times?
Talking Point Priceless art has been damaged by visitors desperate to take a snap with star attractions, leading some galleries and museums to start fighting back
-
Quiz of The Week: 21 – 27 June
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: How do you turn plastics into paracetamol?
Podcast Plus, what is the Wagner Group doing now? And why is it so hard to find a job after university?