In his commentary on a judgement by the Berlin Regional Court II, Dr Dennis Jennessen examines the duties of care under defamation law that high-reach influencers must observe when making allegations. The focus is on the question of whether the same standards apply to them as to traditional media.
Influencers have fundamentally transformed the public media landscape. As individuals, they have a reach and influence that, in some cases, is comparable to – or even exceeds – that of traditional media.
In its judgement of 10 March 2026, the Berlin Regional Court II became one of the first courts to address the duties of care incumbent upon influencers with a wide reach. The ruling deals in particular with the conditions under which influencers may express suspicion to a large audience, and the requirements for verifying such allegations in advance.
Dr Dennis Jennessen analyses the ruling and highlights its significance for influencers and for communication on social media.
The commentary on the judgement, ‘Expressing Suspicions on Social Media’, has been published in *AfP*, Journal of Media Law, Volume 57, Issue 3/2026, pp. 265 ff., by Dr Otto Schmidt Publishers.