Blum pleads for two newspapers in Bern
Roger Blum, Professor of Media Studies at the University of Bern, comments on the current debate surrounding the Bernese daily newspaper Der Bund. For the media scientist, it would be a disaster if there was only one newspaper left in the capital.
Roger Blum, Professor of Media Studies at the University of Bern, comments on the current debate surrounding the Bernese daily newspaper Der Bund. For the media scientist, it would be a disaster if there was only one newspaper left in the capital.
Blum advocates embedding the Bund in a larger newspaper product - the Tages-Anzeiger. Although he was a member of the Tages-Anzeiger editorial team for ten years, he would also have been in favor of the Bund working closely with the St. Galler Tagblatt or the Neue Luzerner Zeitung if the opportunity had presented itself. The Bund and the Tagesanzeiger practiced similar journalism and were based on similar quality standards, Blum wrote in the Bund on Monday. As political newspapers, they both play a major role in public political discourse.
He does not share the view of former Bund editor-in-chief Peter Ziegler, who is in favor of one newspaper - but a strong one. An enlightened public requires the public to be able to choose between different newspapers and compare them with each other. In addition, the editorial offices need competition in order to achieve "journalistic excellence".
The capital city of Bern is dependent on a media discourse, as this is where the political elite meet and decide on the future of the country. It is typical of capital cities that the political discourse is also reflected in a media discourse. The aim is to maintain alternative opinions in the city, as public discourse is not sufficiently stimulated by a monopoly newspaper. Especially political minorities or political actors who are not in the favor of the editors are completely at the mercy of the dominant newspaper, as it is not controlled by a corresponding countervailing power.
According to the 62-year-old, only subscription-based daily newspapers in the media landscape ensure political discourse at all levels. Free newspapers do without commentary, in-depth research and thorough analysis. The Sunday newspapers do not focus enough on local and regional events and the SRG lacks regional information density and commentary. Despite its possibilities, the Internet leaves opinion leadership to the print media. Daily newspapers have a special position, because for many readers they are "beacons, trust agencies in the sea of news" thanks to their competent editorial staff and their credibility.
Blum advocates embedding the Bund in a larger newspaper product - the Tages-Anzeiger. Although he was a member of the Tages-Anzeiger editorial team for ten years, he would also have been in favor of the Bund working closely with the St. Galler Tagblatt or the Neue Luzerner Zeitung if the opportunity had presented itself. The Bund and the Tagesanzeiger practiced similar journalism and were based on similar quality standards, Blum wrote in the Bund on Monday. As political newspapers, they both play a major role in public political discourse.
He does not share the view of former Bund editor-in-chief Peter Ziegler, who is in favor of one newspaper - but a strong one. An enlightened public requires the public to be able to choose between different newspapers and compare them with each other. In addition, the editorial offices need competition in order to achieve "journalistic excellence".
The capital city of Bern is dependent on a media discourse, as this is where the political elite meet and decide on the future of the country. It is typical of capital cities that the political discourse is also reflected in a media discourse. The aim is to maintain alternative opinions in the city, as public discourse is not sufficiently stimulated by a monopoly newspaper. Especially political minorities or political actors who are not in the favor of the editors are completely at the mercy of the dominant newspaper, as it is not controlled by a corresponding countervailing power.
According to the 62-year-old, only subscription-based daily newspapers in the media landscape ensure political discourse at all levels. Free newspapers do without commentary, in-depth research and thorough analysis. The Sunday newspapers do not focus enough on local and regional events and the SRG lacks regional information density and commentary. Despite its possibilities, the Internet leaves opinion leadership to the print media. Daily newspapers have a special position, because for many readers they are "beacons, trust agencies in the sea of news" thanks to their competent editorial staff and their credibility.
