No paper tiger, please!

Code of conduct 147 titles have signed the "Code of Conduct" to date. At this year's Dreikönigstagung, the traditional New Year's meeting of the publishing industry, the code of conduct on the strict separation of journalistic content and commercial advertising was also discussed. So far, 147 individual titles in the Swiss press have signed the charter and thereby committed themselves to complying with the provisions, explained those responsible in Zurich-Oerlikon. "We are very pleased that after years of effort, such a code of conduct is now in place," said Res Strehle, President of the Conference of Editors-in-Chief and co-initiator of the paper. Strehle compared the stage success with a victory on the Alpe d'Huez in the Tour de France. Now the task is to successfully complete the rest of the route to Paris. Specifically: to implement the Code of Conduct in practice. To this end, those responsible want to set up a monitoring system and draw up corresponding implementation regulations. For Strehle, the Press Council would be the appropriate body to monitor compliance with the Code. After all, the code is intended to be more than just a quality seal and should have an impact on actual practice. A proposal to this effect is already on the agenda for March.
Ralph Büchi, CEO of Axel Springer Switzerland, spoke out against lengthy implementation provisions so that the work does not degenerate into a paper tiger. The editorial offices must have leeway for implementation. Overly rigid regulations would be counterproductive. The code of conduct is supported by the Conference of Editors-in-Chief, the publishers' associations in German-speaking Switzerland, French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino as well as the associations of the Swiss advertising industry (BSW, SWA, ASW, FRP). (rw/sda)