Editor of Die Aktuelle ‘is fired over Michael Schumacher fake interview’
The editor of German gossip magazine Die Aktuelle has reportedly been sacked for producing a fake interview with F1 legend Michael Schumacher.
Die Atkuelle published an interview with fake Schumacher quotes generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
As reported by The mirrorPpublishers Funke Magazine have since fired editor-in-chief Anne Hoffmann.
Schumacher, who won seven world championships, has not conducted interviews since he suffered a serious brain injury in a skiing accident in December 2013.
The magazine’s publishers are said to have apologized to Schumacher’s family and to their readers, describing the article as “tasteless and misleading.”
The editor of German magazine Die Aktuelle has reportedly been sacked for producing a fake interview with F1 legend Michael Schumacher
Schumacher’s family plans to take legal action against a magazine that promoted an ‘exclusive interview’ with the stricken F1 legend. Pictured: Mick Schumacher (left), with his mother Corinna (right) and sister Gina-Maria (center)
The magazine, which was published on April 15, features an image of Schumacher smiling on its cover.
The song is said to contain the ‘first interview’ with Schumacher since his accident.
Little is known about Schumacher’s condition.
In the interview, Schumacher is said to have said: ‘My life has completely changed since then [the accident].
‘That was a terrible time for my wife, my children and the whole family.
‘I was so badly injured that I spent months in a kind of artificial coma because my body wouldn’t be able to handle it otherwise.
Schumacher (pictured in 2012) has not been seen in public since a skiing accident in 2013
‘Much better than years ago. With the help of my team, I can even stand on my own again and even walk a few steps slowly.
“My family and children have been a blessing to me and without them I wouldn’t be in business.
“Of course they are very sad about how everything turned out, but alas, that is life and I just have to live with things going badly sometimes.
“They support me and are firmly by my side.”
On the front page was a subheading that read “it sounds deceptively real,” which immediately led to questions about the legitimacy of the interview.
The article opens: ‘Have a talk with him. Ask him how he’s really doing. And finally got answers almost a decade after his tragic skiing accident.
“No thin, vague half-sentences from friends. But answers from him! By Michael Schumacher, 54!
Die Aktuelle eventually admitted that the quotes were generated by artificial intelligence
‘Here it is – the incredible interview! With redeeming answers to the most pressing questions that the whole world has been asking for so long.’
The article, which has no byline, ends with an admission that the quotes are in fact fake and that the magazine has not spoken to Schumacher or anyone in his family.
Did Michael Schumacher really say everything himself? The interview was online. On a page dealing with artificial intelligence, or AI for short,” the widely derided piece concludes.
F1 fans slammed the magazine for the “lack of decency” and the “shame” it claimed to have spoken to Schumacher.
German media expert Boris Rosenkranz wrote a comment piece label the stunt ‘Too stupid to be true’.
Corinna Schumacher tried to claim €50,000 (£42,300) from Die Aktuelle in 2015 but lost her case in court.
Schumacher’s wife Corinna (pictured skiing with him in 2005) has kept his condition private
In a rare interview for a documentary about Michael’s life, Corinna opened up about her situation
The magazine had used a photo of Corinna on the cover with the headline: “Corinna Schumacher – a new love makes her happy.”
The story was actually about her daughter, Gina-Maria. The family’s attorney, Felix Damm, filed a lawsuit claiming the front page was misleading. The case was eventually dropped.
A year earlier, the magazine had a photo of Michael and Corinna on the front cover with the headline “Awake,” drawing widespread criticism.
The story itself was about other individuals who had awakened from a coma and were condemned as tasteless.
Last month, Eddie Jordan claimed that Corinna, Schumacher’s wife, was living “like a prisoner” to keep his condition a secret.
Jordan revealed last year that his plans to visit Schumacher had been rejected by the family.
Corinna has been shy about speaking publicly about her husband, but did shed some light on her struggles in a documentary about his life that will air in 2022.
Michael is here. Different, but he is there and that gives us strength, I think,” Corinna said earlier.
‘We are together. We live together at home. We do therapy. We are doing everything we can to make Michael better and make sure he is comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond.
“And whatever happens, I will do everything I can. We all will. We try to continue as a family, as Michael liked and still does. And we move on with our lives.
“Private is private,” as he used to say. I think it is very important that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible.
Schumacher’s family has fought to keep the former racer’s condition a secret
“Michael always protected us, and now we protect Michael.”
Schumacher is one of the most successful F1 drivers of all time, having won seven world titles: 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004.
He also added 71 fastest laps and 155 podiums to his name during his iconic racing career.
His son Mick is now a reserve driver for Mercedes, having been sacked from Haas F1 last summer.