| Belltower.News | |
| Editor Title: | Editor-in-Chief |
| Editor: | Simone Rafael |
| Category: | Anti-fascist watchdog journalism |
| Publisher: | Amadeu Antonio Foundation |
| Founder: | Die Zeit |
| Founded: | 2007 |
| Based: | Berlin, Germany |
| Language: | German |
Belltower.News is a German anti-fascist watchdog news website acting as the primary outlet of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation.[1] Founded in 2007 by Die Zeit, the site was known as Netz gegen Nazis until 3 April 2017.[2] [3]
Netz gegen Nazis was initiated by Giovanni di Lorenzo, the editor-in-chief of Die Zeit near the end of 2007 with the help of several other organizations such as the German Football Association, German Olympic Sports Confederation, Die Liga – Fußballverband, German Fire Brigade Association, and the ZDF.[4] The stated aim of the website was, and still is, the combating of right-wing extremism, racism, antisemitism, as well as other forms of "group-based misanthropy".[5]
In 2009, the website was transferred to the ownership of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation of Anetta Kahane, which has managed it since.
The name of the website was changed to Belltower.News – Netz für digitale Zivilgesellschaft on the 3 April 2017.[6]
In a 2008 article, Die Welt journalist Thomas Lindemann criticized the project and its success, alleging that it might be counterproductive.[7]
Parts of the German left have criticized Belltower.News for presenting critiques of Israeli politics as antisemitic.[8]
Some conservatives and right-wingers have frequently criticized Belltower.News for covering them instead of actual neo-nazis. Die Achse des Guten for example, wrote in a 2017 article: "As the publishers of [Belltower.News] have noticed, there are barely any "Nazis"; they are politically marginalized. The real enemy is the center of society, the liberal and conservative citizenry, or rather what is still left of it."[9]