How does ARD bring the fight against the right into children's rooms?

German TV audiences were recently surprised by a cozy prime-time special. ORF should not imitate this.

She looks beautiful, little Alia. The girl is probably about 10 or 11 years old, wearing a ponytail and a purple T-shirt, her big eyes looking intently into the camera. Alia is a reporter and reports from a daycare center called Glücksbärchen. She is asked about the situation on site. Not good at all, says Alia. “Unfortunately, all the teachers at the daycare center are sick. That means two. There are two people sick.” Fortunately, the little ones have long been accustomed to taking care of themselves, says Alia.

The scene comes from #KINDERtreiben, a special program on ARD that aired on Sunday during prime time, at 8:15 p.m., when the “Tatort” audience was waiting for the crime thriller.

Instead, TV comedian Caroline Kipkos, who recently became a mother, watched amidst the carefully arranged chaos of a young parent’s home: “The next show was postponed for a few minutes,” Kipkos explained. “Because we just have to talk about the kids now.”