Media, Politics, and Public Opinion on both Sides of the Atlantic

Political debates in both Germany and the United States are increasingly shaped not only by elections and policy decisions, but also by the narratives and interpretations that emerge in the media. As polarization deepens and political movements evolve, journalists and opinion writers play a crucial role in helping the public make sense of fast-moving political developments.

Nadine Lindner , Renée Loth , Dr. Steven E. Sokol

The American Council on Germany and the Goethe-Institut hosted a live podcast recording and discussion at the Goethe-Institut Boston on “Media, Politics, and Public Opinion on both Sides of the Atlantic” with Nadine Lindner, award-winning correspondent for Deutschlandradio known for her reporting on the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and political developments in eastern Germany, and Renée Loth, opinion columnist at The Boston Globe and former editorial page editor of the newspaper. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Steven E. Sokol, President and CEO of The American Council on Germany. Drawing on decades of reporting and commentary, they explored how political journalism and opinion writing shape public understanding of major political trends – from the evolution of party politics in Germany to the forces transforming American democracy – and what audiences on each side of the Atlantic often misunderstand about the other.

This event was part of a week-long speaking tour by Nadine Lindner to five U.S. cities titled State(s) of Democracy: A German Journalist’s Journey to the U.S. in 2026.

Listen to the podcast here on the following platforms:

Spotify

Apple Podcasts

iHeartRadio

Spreaker

Foreign Correspondents Unplugged

The American Council on Germany and the Goethe-Institut are holding a series of events across the United States highlighting how German and American journalists see political and social developments in Germany, the United States, and internationally. Our guests will take a step back from the stories they follow day to day and address a range of topics that affect citizens in both countries. Following the events, the discussions will be released as podcasts.

Nadine Lindner

Nadine Lindner has been a Correspondent in the Berlin studio of "Deutschlandradio" since early 2016 and is responsible, among other things, for covering the AfD and transport policy. Before that, she was a Correspondent in the Free State of Saxony for two and a half years and followed the rise of Pegida there. She studied Political Science, Journalism, and African Studies in Leipzig and discovered her enthusiasm for radio there at the training station "mephisto 97.6." After graduating from university, she worked as a freelance journalist for "MDR sputnik" and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as well as Deutschlandradio.

Born 1980 in a small town close to Frankfurt/Main, studying Political Science in Leipzig/Saxony. Later she did her journalistic training at Deutschlandradio, a nationwide public radio station. In 2013, Ms. Lindner moved back to Saxony as a regional correspondent for Deutschlandradio, where she covered the early days of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the anti-asylum movement Pegida. Since 2016, she has worked at the capital studio of Deutschlandradio in Berlin, where she is responsible for covering the AfD in the German parliament. Nadine Lindner received the prize of the Bundespressekonferenz, the association of capital studio journalists, for her reporting about the AfD and Eastern Germany in 2024.

Renée Loth

Renée Loth is an opinion columnist for The Boston Globe. In a distinguished journalism career Renée has been a presidential campaign reporter, political editor, and editor of the Globe’s editorial page, where she was for nine years the highest-ranking woman at the newspaper. For several years until 2018 she was also editor of ArchitectureBoston magazine, the quarterly ideas journal of the Boston Society of Architects.

She has been an adjunct lecturer in public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and was twice a judge for the Pulitzer prizes in journalism. Through traveling awards and fellowships she has reported from 14 countries. She is married to the jazz pianist Bert Seager. They live in Brighton.

Dr. Steven E. Sokol

Steven E. Sokol has been the President and CEO of the American Council on Germany since 2015. Previously, he served as President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and prior to that he was the Vice President and Director of Programs at the American Council on Germany. Prior to this, Dr. Sokol served as the Deputy Director of the Aspen Institute Berlin, was the Head of the Project Management Department at the Bonn International Center for Conversion GmbH (BICC), and a Program Officer in the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Earlier in his career, he also was a Program Manager at the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and was a paralegal at Fulbright & Jaworski.

He holds a Doctorate in Law and Policy from Northeastern University as well as an M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins University’s Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. He has also studied at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität in Heidelberg and as a Fulbright Scholar at the Freie Universität in Berlin. Dr. Sokol serves on several non-profit boards and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He was awarded a Bundesverdienstkreuz (Order of Merit) for his work to strengthen German-American relations.

Episode 13 Media, Politics, and Public Opinion

Foreign Correspondents Unplugged