Volksverpetzer

Founded in 2014, Volksverpetzer is a non-governmental organisation based in Augsburg, Germany working on democracy & civil society, human rights, education.

Volksverpetzer is a German anti-fake-news blog and non-profit company (VVP gUG) based in Augsburg. It was founded in 2014 by Thomas Laschyk and friends as a regional blog on Augsburg politics and began focusing on hate speech and fake news from 2015. The team fact-checks disinformation, conspiracy narratives and far-right propaganda, publishing articles, analyses, videos, podcasts and shareable graphics, and runs a fact-check database and a free app. It also offers workshops and talks on media literacy and disinformation for young people and adults, and works with volunteers. The project is funded entirely by crowdfunding, donations and small merchandise sales, and says it accepts no government, corporate or foundation funding. Its articles include sources and links, and it states that it is politically independent but openly defends democratic principles. The organisation reports that its charitable status was withdrawn in April 2024, so it can no longer issue donation receipts. Its work is aimed mainly at the German public, with a focus on young people and social media users.