FUNDING
Who pays us
Whoever pays us does not decide what we check or how we rate it. That holds for every euro. So that you can verify it, this page says where our money comes from.
As things stand today
As of 9 October 2026: Die Aufrechte Lupe is funded entirely by the MBG Group. The operator is MBG International Premium Brands GmbH, Paderborn. The Lupe has no income of its own: no advertising, no subscriptions, no donations. If that changes, it will appear here first.
Where the money comes from
The only funder is the MBG Group. If further sources of income are added, we will name each one that accounts for more than 5 per cent of our annual income.
What we do not accept
We take no money from parties, parliamentary groups, party-affiliated foundations, governments or ministries. We take no money from companies or associations that is tied to a topic or to a rating. At present we accept no donations.
What funders get
No influence on selection, research, rating or publication. Nobody outside the editorial team sees a piece before it is published. The publisher is Andreas W. Herb, CEO of the MBG Group; he writes opinion pieces that carry his name and a disclosure.
Advertising and sponsorship
Fact checks are never sponsored. Die Aufrechte Lupe shows no advertising. Should that change, it will appear here first; advertisements would then never appear in or next to a fact check, and they would be marked as advertisements.
Platform programmes
We take part in no funding or partner programmes run by platforms. Should that change, we will name the programme, the amount and the conditions.
Annual accounts
Die Aufrechte Lupe has no annual accounts of its own; its costs are borne by the MBG Group. The operator files its annual accounts as the law requires in the German company register, the Unternehmensregister (opens an external site).
Where we could be biased is set out on a page of its own: conflicts of interest.