Schlagzeile geht schneller als Recherche – über die journalistische Arbeit zum Antikenraub

Abstract

When media talk about illegal digging and looting of archeological sites in Syria or Iraq, as well as the trade with looted antiquities, the articles contain many assumptions and only few proofs. In July 2015 the German TV program “Mittagsmagazin” broadcasted the first physical proof, that the so called Islamic State owns antiquities. Most media reacted with restraint. The assertion, that terrorism is financed by looting of antiquities, had been repeated so often, that it became a fact for many. The authors of this article – experienced TV-journalists who produced the story for “Mittagsmagazin” – have during the past years collected evidence that ISIS is trading with antiquities. In the film mentioned above they delivered the first physical proof. The fact, that the Islamic State owns antiquities, makes it very likely, that the terrorists are selling them, an assumption that has been partly proved through receipts. The scoop, we are talking about, was not accompanied by a big medial boom. But among experts it is an important part within a series of evidences, most of which are still in the dark.

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