The modern German equivalent would probably be "Sommerloch" [1], describing the time when most politics is on hold because of summer vacations and news outlets

The modern German equivalent would probably be "Sommerloch" [1], describing the time when most politics is on hold because of summer vacations and news outlets try to fill the void with whatever story they find. The usual writers and editors being on vacation too during this time doesn't help. - [1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sommerloch https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sommerloch (links to "silly season")