By Wolfgang Ressmann
Against the backdrop of internet-based opinion bubbles, the post-truth era apparently offers numerous new opportunities for unprincipled individuals to significantly improve their own economic situation.
This also applies to figures in the writing community. The rise of right-wing populism creates a key prerequisite for this: As the number of supporters grows, the extremist spectrum offers ample opportunities to raise funds from among the ranks of right-wing adherents. Thus, within the context of right-wing conspiracy theories, the ground is being laid for a form of political esotericism intertwined with occult elements, complete with a lucrative media environment.
Thus, esoteric/occult journalism—guided by the grand model derived from the ancient Greek word “esōterikós”—assumes that true knowledge is secret and that the hidden can scarcely be uncovered through scientific and fact-based research.
After all, the classic esoteric market in Germany alone is estimated at up to 25 billion euros per year. Political-esoteric journalism appears to be successfully replicating this business model.
The transformation of a former Focus correspondent in Moscow into an apparently well-paid political esotericist provides eloquent examples of this. Just as traditional esotericism takes a “critical” to outright hostile stance toward scientifically and fact-based doctrines and attempts to counter them with its own (spiritual) truth, this blogging advocate describes himself as “critical,” “without a fixed stance,” “without preaching,” and “without ideology”—committed solely to his own insights. However, he has a clear economic interest: the plaintive request for “donations” is impossible to overlook on the blog. Since there is no official information about the actual cash flows, estimates range in the six- to seven-figure range. If these figures are accurate, the shift toward political esotericism pays off in cold, hard cash and is likely to significantly exceed the income achievable as a Moscow correspondent for *Fokus*.
To secure “donations” in the assumed amount, publishing alleged “secret knowledge” is an effective strategy. Just recently, the former Moscow correspondent made a revelation about the true secrets of the so-called “system journalists” from behind the (semi-)open door of an interpreter’s booth in Karparc, Poland, during the “Polish Economic” Forum.
While on the podium the author of this article, along with DJV Chairman Mika Beuster and other Polish panelists, was discussing the topic of “disinformation” and the associated dangers for the future of democracy, something memorable was taking place behind the door of the interpreter’s booth. It had previously been unknown to the author of these lines that, after nearly 35 years as an employee of the Rhineland-Palatinate State Media Authority and full-time director of Offener Kanal Ludwigshafen (the first open-access community broadcaster in Germany), he had been seeking professional success with NGOs since running for the Bundestag in 2009. A truly esoteric reinterpretation of the role of state media authorities in Germany. He retired from the authority’s service in 2025 due to age.
While Mika Beuster, in an era of disinformation, attributed to journalism the role of a guide through the spectrum of opinion, the author also expressed concern that a portion of the audience apparently no longer has any real interest in facts or their journalistic verification. This was unexpectedly underscored by the misguided revelation of the former Moscow correspondent, whose esopolitical insights once again made clear how important the navigational role of quality journalism is for the preservation of democracy.
Esopolitical blogging on the right-wing spectrum, in turn, underscores that the post-truth era offers self-proclaimed “non-partisans” the best possible opportunities to elevate their own socioeconomic status, as long as a political-occult following keeps the money flowing into the blog’s donation box. It’s just unfortunate that this disinformation can cause serious harm to society as a whole in the real political arena.
September 16, 2026
Dr Wolfgang Ressmann is a German media strategist, head of Media Dialogue and the European Youth4Media Network, chair of the New European People’s Forum (NEPF), and co-founder of the Defending Democracy Global Initiative (DDGI). His work focuses on independent media, democratic resilience, international cooperation, and solidarity with Ukraine.
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