Austria: The Sound of Silence

 It seems bad news doesn’t travel fast in Austria. That’s because on the same day it was revealed that serious crime committed by migrants and various other foreigners is rising dramatically in the country, the nation’s public broadcasting system, ORF, doesn’t see fit to report the finding. (which reminds me of our own NPR.) This has aroused the ire of the conservative Freedom Party of Austria.

The article below from Heute is translated by Fousesquawk.

Shocking new numbers

Foreigner crime- The silence from the ORF (Austrian Broadcasting) infuriates the FPÖ (Austria Freedom Party)

21 murders, almost 500 rapes: The new figures on foreigner crime are shocking. Not one word mentioned by ORF-The FPÖ is furious

From Heute PoliticsJuly 23, 2026 at 12:49  

164,573 foreign suspects, 21 murders by non-Austrians, 471 rapes, 1,468 cases of serious bodily injuries, as well as a new record high in asylum-seeker suspects: All of these figures- as first reported by Heute on Wednesday- were first brought to light by a parliamentary inquiry by the FPÖ (Freedom Party of Austria) to Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP/Austrian Peoples Party).

Not one word from ORF on the alarming numbers

The ORF, however, has not reported on these numbers to date. The FPÖ is using this non-reporting as an opportunity to, once again, criticize public broadcasting.  

“While the latest numbers on foreign criminality document an alarming development and constitute the most important security-political issue in the nation, the ORF yesterday reported nothing on its TV news, nor on the radio, nor on its online platforms,” said the Freedom Party general secretary and press spokesman, Christian Hafenecker, angrily. 

“These developments concern every single Austrian and should actually be dominating the reportage of a public broadcaster. Instead, conspicuous silence dominates in ORF. Whoever conceals such numbers conceals the reality in our nation.” 

But for the FPÖ general secretary, this approach fits seamlessly into the picture of a broadcaster that prioritizes political issues according to ideological criteria. “When it comes to damaging the FPÖ with fabricated connections, irrelevant and old chat logs, or questionable campaigns, often in concert with leftist media, the ORF has neither restraint nor lack of news. Then they will report, comment, and moralize for days and days. But when it comes to the dramatically rising criminality of foreigners and the consequences for the safety of its own population, suddenly radio silence dominates.

Instead of crime reporting, an article on an ant chef

Particularly illustrative from Hafenecker’s point of view is the ORF’s choice of issues on the same day. “While the record number of crimes committed by foreigners apparently was not newsworthy for the editors, what was extensively reported was a (Michelin) starred chef in South Korea, who is threatened with prison because he served ants. Apparently, the ORF considers such curiosities more important than the safety situation in its own country.”

FPÖ sees ORF credibility eroding

When public broadcasting collectively turns a blind eye to one of the most explosive domestic political issues of the year, they further lose credibility, says Hafenecker. “More and more citizens are gaining the impression that ORF only reports on those issues that benefit the losing coalition government and the established parties while unpleasant developments are systematically ignored or downplayed.”

No change under new ORF leadership

Even under the newly designated ORF leadership, no change is discernible, the FPÖ general secretary fears. “The ORF continues to act as a political actor rather than an objective provider of information. Critical reporting on the consequences of the failed migration policy remains absent while political campaigns against the FPÖ continue regularly. That has nothing to do with independent public broadcasting.”

Source: http://garyfouse.blogspot.com/2026/07/austria-sound-of-silence.html