BILD and DIE ZEIT call for Deutschland spricht in Germany; on Aug 30, 2026 nationwide debates

Germany’s Biggest Political Discussion! BILD and DIE ZEIT Call for “Deutschland spricht”

Nationwide Day of Dialogue on August 30, 2026

It is Germany’s biggest political discussion: shortly before the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, BILD, DIE ZEIT, and other major media partners are calling on people across the country to take part in “Deutschland spricht” (“Germany Talks”). Participants from all over Germany can sign up to be matched for one-on-one meetings to debate politics openly and passionately. The more the opinions differ, the better!

BILD already took part in “Deutschland spricht” during the 2025 federal election campaign – with great success. Tens of thousands signed up and arranged political discussions. “Deutschland spricht” is a kind of matchmaking platform for political debate. The idea was first developed in the newsroom of DIE ZEIT in 2017 and has since received several awards, including the prestigious Grimme Online Award. Around 100,000 conversations have now taken place worldwide via “My Country Talks,” the international platform that grew out of it.

This year, the initiative is bigger than ever: alongside initiator DIE ZEIT and BILD, the participating media partners are DER SPIEGEL, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Handelsblatt, Lausitzer Rundschau, Märkische Oderzeitung, MDR, Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, Volksstimme, and Weser-Kurier.

Here’s how it works: registration is open until August 21 via BILD.de or directly through “ Deutschland spricht .” Each participant answers eight highly controversial yes-or-no questions and is then matched with someone who holds completely different views and lives nearby.

On Sunday, August 30, 2026, discussion pairs across Germany will meet for their one-on-one political conversations. BILD will report on many of these debates.

Kai Weise, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of BILD : “Millions of people across our country talk and argue about politics every day: with their families, neighbors, and colleagues. Yet discussions can be difficult when opinions differ fundamentally. Conversations are not always fair, and sometimes friendships even suffer as a result. And yet it’s a good thing that we don’t all think alike! That’s why we are once again fully committed to ‘Deutschland spricht’!”

BILD is taking part in Deutschland spricht 2026 – together with initiator DIE ZEIT and a broad network of media partners. The nationwide initiative brings together people with different political viewpoints for in-person conversations.

Senior Communications Manager BILD Group