'Atlas of Civil Society' downgrades Germany

Deutsche Welle · 🇩🇪 public Germany · May 18, 2026 · 525 words · By Elizabeth Schumacher

Civil Liberties and Democracy Human Rights in Germany Disinformation and AI

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What to know about Civil Liberties and Democracy

'Atlas of Civil Society' downgrades Germany May 18, 2026"The great majority of people in the world cannot raise their hand and speak freely," said Dagmar Pruin, president of Brot für die Welt (Bread of the World), at the presentation of the organization's…

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

"Even in Germany, some narratives are being purposely buried," she added, giving the example of how "criticism of right-wing extremism is discredited as ideological." The report, the Atlas of Civil Society, is published annually by Brot für die Welt — an…

Common ground

This year's report focuses in particular on disinformation as a global phenomenon.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Civil Liberties and Democracy story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that only 3.4% of the world's population lives in truly open societies, where 30.7% lived in completely closed, authoritarian circumstances?
How does this story connect Civil Liberties and Democracy with Human Rights in Germany over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dw.com/en/atlas-of-civil-society-downgrades-germany/a-77193686?maca=…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 8

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: “only 3.4% of the world's population lives in truly open societies, where 30.7% lived in completely closed, authoritarian circumstances”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result confirms the specific statistics (3.4% open, 30.7% closed) attributed to the Atlas of Civil Society. Other results are general Wikipedia entries on population or unrelated YouTube videos.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In world demographics, the world population is the total number of humans currently alive. It was estimated by the United Nations to have exceeded 8 billion (8,000,000,000) on November 15, 2022.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — According to this year's Atlas of Civil Society. , which examines worldwide trends related to NGOs, protest movements, and media freedom, only 3.4% of the world's population lives in truly open societ…
https://www.dw.com/en/atlas-of-civil-society-downgrades-germ…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Open Society Fellowship program hosted a discussion on new media in authoritarian societies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rr8xTF5Bb4

info

Claim 2: “Across the entire European Union, that amount has gone from 25% five years ago to 35% in 2025.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results are generic definitions and calculators for 'percentage' and do not contain any data regarding EU beliefs on climate change.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A percentage is a dimensionless number (pure number), primarily used for expressing proportions, but percent is nonetheless a unit of measurement in its orthography and usage.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percentage

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In mathematics, a percentage is a number or ratio that represents a fraction of 100. It is one of the ways to represent a dimensionless relationship between two numbers; other methods include ratios, …
https://www.calculator.net/percent-calculator.html

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — How do you calculate a percentage? To calculate a percentage, you typically divide the part (the smaller value) by the whole (the larger value), and then multiply the result by 100.
https://percentagecalculator.net/

help

Claim 3: “Ostensibly the law [EU Digital Services Act] holds firms like Meta and Google accountable for disinformation and hate speech on their platforms”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this claim.

info

Claim 4: “The report, the Atlas of Civil Society, is published annually by Brot für die Welt”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result explicitly states that the Atlas of Civil Society is published annually by Brot für die Welt. However, the other two search results are about the Cleveland Cavaliers and are irrelevant.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · Heavy on Cavaliers is your mobile-friendly hub for Cleveland Cavaliers news alerts, roster moves, starting lineup, injury report, stats and odds.
https://heavy.com/sports/nba/cleveland-cavaliers/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Be the best Cleveland Cavaliers fan you can be with Bleacher Report. Keep up with the latest storylines, expert analysis, highlights, scores and more.
https://bleacherreport.com/cleveland-cavaliers

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The official site of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Includes news, scores, schedules, statistics, photos and videos.
https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/

info

Claim 5: “This year, there has been a 7% increase on societies categorized as having 'limited' openness”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided web search results for this claim are generic definitions of the word 'number' and do not contain any information regarding the Atlas of Civil Society or the 7% increase in 'limited' openness.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The number system that results depends on what base is used for the digits: any base is possible, but a prime number base provides the best mathematical properties.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · The meaning of NUMBER is a sum of units : total. How to use number in a sentence. Amount vs. Number: Usage Guide
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/number

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A number is a count or measurement that is really an idea in our minds. We write or talk about numbers using numerals such as 4 or four.
https://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/numbers-numerals-digits.h…

info

Claim 6: “Brot für die Welt — an organization supported by Protestant churches in Germany that focuses on combating global hunger and promoting sustainable development in the Global South”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result explicitly describes Brot für die Welt as an organization supported by Protestant churches in Germany focusing on combating global hunger and sustainable development in the Global South. Other results are generic or unrelated.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The SDGs are emphasizing inclusiveness in the national context and also in global governance. For the national context this means a focus on marginalised groups that are affected by exclusion and ineq…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_Development_Goals

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The report, the Atlas of Civil Society, is published annually by Brot für die Welt — an organization supported by Protestant churches in Germany that focuses on combating global hunger and promoting s…
https://www.dw.com/en/atlas-of-civil-society-downgrades-germ…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ihre Spende an Brot für die Welt können Sie von der Steuer absetzen. Das Evangelische Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e.V. ist unter der Steuernummer 27/027/37515 als gemeinnützige Organisation aner…
https://www.brot-fuer-die-welt.de/gemeinden/fuerbitte/2026-v…

info

Claim 7: “In 2021, 23% of Germans thought that climate change was due to natural cycles and not related to human activity. Last year, that number climbed to 33%.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results discuss climate change generally and disinformation, but they do not provide the specific percentage data for Germans' beliefs in 2021 vs 2025.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — How are humans causing climate change? The climate has changed naturally throughout the Earth's history.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9w15nggj58o

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions.
https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — However, the study did not specify which scientists the climate sceptic and climate ambivalent citizens relied on for information, meaning that the veracity of the scientific consensus on anthropogeni…
https://bylinetimes.com/2021/12/23/the-sophistication-of-cli…

info

Claim 8: “This includes many countries that from the global north, that purport to be democratic, such as the US, France, Italy and yes, Germany.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results include a Wikipedia page for Germany and a snippet mentioning the Atlas of Civil Society, but they do not list the specific categorization of the US, France, Italy, and Germany as having 'limited' openness.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Western and Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north with the Alps to the south.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Forty years ago, a US historian claimed that social changes were severing communal bonds. He was right.Disparities between countries in the perception of loneliness can be explained by looking at the …
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2024/mar/24/we-think-lone…

info

Claim 9: “Citing the Ernst and Young AI Sentiment Index, which interviewed 15,000 people of all ages in 15 countries, including Germany, Brot für die Welt found that 75% of people worried about getting bad information from AI but only about a third investigated further.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results provided for this claim are completely irrelevant, discussing job searches and corporate analyst roles, with no mention of the Ernst and Young AI Sentiment Index or Brot für die Welt's findings.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The University of Nevada, Reno is a leading public research university committed to the promise of a future powered by knowledge. Founded in 1874 as Nevada’s original land-grant university, the Univer…
https://nshe.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UNR-external

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No CLEARANCE TYPE: None TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time Description At Northrop Grumman, our employees…
https://ngc.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Northrop_Grumman_Ext…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Cleco Corporate Holdings LLC is a regional energy holding company that conducts its business operations through its primary subsidiary, Cleco Power. Headquartered in Pineville, Louisiana, and in busin…
https://cleco.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/ClecoJobs

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.