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"Bringing the world together through music has always been an incredibly powerful idea and has stood the test of time for 70 years," Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green told DW on the sidelines of the event's annual European Broadcasting Union (EBU) workshop held in mid-September. "And I think the more difficult the world gets around us, the more important these shows of unity, these shows of togetherness become." While Green is intent on promoting the unity of the international music contest that celebrated its 70th anniversary in May, the 2026 event was also infamously marked by unprecedented backlash. Political boycotts over Israel's inclusion amid the war in Gaza led to a significant low point in participation and viewership, dropping from 166 million viewers in 2025 down t...

Toby Morton, who wrote several episodes of the animated comedy series "South Park," launched a website seeking accountability in connection with an alleged 2024 sexual assault case involving seven Cornell University fraternity members. The site names seven men accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman who was allegedly unconscious after being given drugs and alcohol at a Cornell fraternity house and collects personal data and photos of the members involved. "I've received messages reminding me I'm not a journalist, I'm 'just a satirist,'" Morton wrote in a September 27 Instagram post regarding the creation of his website TheCornell7.org. "This is true, but it makes me more dangerous," he added, saying he has "nobody to tell me I've gone too far." The case has recently drawn a su...

One could safely say that Francis of Assisi's life — and afterlife — is defined by paradox. He embraced poverty, yet lies entombed today in a grand basilica with frescoes by renowned medieval artists in his native Assisi in central Italy. He advocated meekness, yet hundreds of thousands venerated his remains when they went on public display earlier this year to commemorate 800 years since his death on October 3, 1226. Thousands came to venerate the saint's remains earlier this year, amid wide media coverage Image: Emanuela Bianconi/IPA/ZUMA/picture alliance So, why has this Catholic saint inspired papal encyclicals, ecological activism, global pet‑blessing rituals — and even the propaganda of former Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini? And what might Francis make of this fame that...

"I personally don't feel safe as a citizen in my country and as a person who has worked for independent media for a long time," Georgian media expert and advocate for press freedom Nino Robakidze told DW. Her activism with international civil society groups has made her a target in her home country. Similarly, Georgian journalists are currently facing "physical threats, digital threats, psychological threats. And there is also financial and legal pressure around their media organizations," she reported. Robakidze was one of the participants at DW's panel discussion "Democracy under pressure? The situation for cultural and media professionals in Georgia," held on Thursday in Berlin's James-Simon-Galerie. Host Jochen Rosenkranz, director of DW's Culture and Sports department, pointed out ...