Deepfakes and disinformation in the region: Who can we still trust?
How do false reports affect democracy in the country?
12. Oct
“NDR direkt”, in collaboration with Leuphana University of Lüneburg, invites you to a lively panel discussion as part of Hamburg’s Week for Press Freedom. Following the live broadcast of “Hallo Niedersachsen” from the Leuphana Forum, there will be a discussion on how deepfakes, hate campaigns and disinformation are changing everyday democratic life in towns and communities.
- 12 October 2026
- Main Building / Forum
| 18.00 Uhr | A get-together with drinks and snacks |
| 19.30 Uhr | ‘Hallo Niedersachsen’ live on location |
| 20.00 Uhr | ‘NDR Direkt’ talk show |
The NDR DIREKT talk show is recorded for radio and television and streamed live, whilst “Hallo Niedersachsen” is broadcast live on NDR television. In this regard, we would like to point out that by registering, you consent to the publication of film, photo and audio recordings of yourself taken during the event.
The panel discussion
NDR presenter Susanne Stichler will be speaking with you and the following guests:
- Manuel Becker, Editor-in-Chief of the *Landeszeitung für die Lüneburger Heide*
- Fabian Grischkat, news influencer and web video producer
- Juliane Leopold, Digital Editor-in-Chief at ARD aktuell (Tagesschau/Tagesthemen/tagesschau.de)
- Thorsten Massinger, President of the Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office
- Thomas Otto, current mayor of the municipality of Saterland and victim of online hoaxes
- Marcus Pietsch, Professor of Educational Science at Leuphana University Lüneburg
NDR social media host Chiara Battaglia will be taking questions from the audience and online.
Registrations
The event is free of charge. To help us with our planning, please register by 10 October 2026. You can find the registration form here.