Earlier in the week, the magazine published an article with an alleged exclusive interview with Schumacher who has not appeared in public since 2013 after he suffered a severe head injury while skiing. Later, it became clear that the interview was generated by an AI-powered chatbot.
"Funke is expressing apologies to Michael Schumacher's family. This tasteless and misinforming article should have never been published. In no way does it comply with journalism standards that we and our readers expect. Due to the publication of the article, editor-in-chief of Die Aktuelle Anne Hoffmann, who had been responsible for the magazine's work, was dismissed," the media group said in a statement.
Schumacher got a head injury while skiing in the French resort of Meribel in December 2013. He underwent brain surgery at a clinic in France and was in coma for some time. In December 2018, media reported that Schumacher's condition improved and he was no longer confined to bed, while continuing his recovery at home.
A similar story occurred in Germany in 2018 when news magazine Der Spiegel reported that one of its reporters and editors, Claas Relotius, falsified his articles and distorted facts in his stories for years. The magazine suggested that Relotius deceived his colleagues and readers intentionally, methodically and with criminal intent, not only distorting facts and making up dialogues and quotes but also inventing characters for his articles.
Der Spiegel fired Relotius and also suspended the contracts of two senior editors who found and hired the infamous journalist.