Optimism despite the media crisis on Journalism Day 2024

With 170 participants, the Journalism Day 2024 organized by the QuaJou Quality in Journalism Association on Thursday in Winterthur met with great interest. To mark its 25th anniversary, the association offered the event free of charge for the first time - a deliberate signal in economically challenging times.

Keynote speaker Silvia Princigalli, who was one of the founding editors of "Izzy", opened the day with a forward-looking analysis: How can crises promote innovation in journalism? "I've cried so many times and been devastated. The important thing is: don't lose hope, stay agile and don't be afraid to be different," said Princigalli. "Stay open and curious about possibilities, stay humble and hardworking and look for like-minded people and talent."

The program focused on current challenges facing the industry: ZHAW media professor Vinzenz Wyss presented the results of the latest ZHAW occupational field study on political orientation in editorial offices for the first time (Markt-kom.com reported). This shows: There is a threat of precarization in Swiss journalism - and Swiss journalism is not very diverse. "If we could get people without a university degree into the editorial offices, there would probably be more political diversity in reporting," said panel participant Camille Lothe (NebelspalterSVP). The statement by freelance journalist Eva Hirschi is worrying: "I know journalists who also work in a bar on the side - and it's often not voluntary."

"As a journalist, you shouldn't deceive"

Simon Bärtschi, Head of Journalism at Tamedia, answered critical questions on the reduction of regional online presences in a panel discussion. Matthias Ackeret, publisher and editor-in-chief of Personal, assessed the development as an independent media expert. At the start of the panel, it was agreed that all information should remain in the room in order to facilitate as open a discussion as possible.

The other panels opened up new perspectives: Thomas Benkö from the Blick Group presented the opportunities and limitations of AI tools in journalism in a workshop. However, it is important: "As a journalist, you should not deceive - not even with the new possibilities that are available." Three award-winning young media professionals - Livia Fischer (CH Media), Deniz Kurtogullari (SRF News) and Ernst Field (Bajour) - showed how the profession can remain attractive despite austerity programs. Their common message: "Opportunities for further development, support when things go wrong and good leaders."

During the discussion on the US presidential election, SRF presenter Arthur Honegger and Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen, Professor of Comparative Politics at the University of Bern, analyzed the role of traditional and social media. Honegger said that we need to think about why we no longer reach the public: "Many people no longer believe an elite - and journalists are part of this elite. This has to do with the strong academization of our profession."

Among others, Press Council President Susan Boos and Hansi Voigt (founder of Watson, now Bajour) debated journalistic self-responsibility and its impact on media freedom. Among other things, they discussed the pending court ruling in the Spiess Hegglin case. Boos said that the View had clearly behaved wrongly - but: "It has become clear that the View has changed a lot. Stories like this are no longer made today." Voigt also agreed with this.

"Forced to focus on journalism"

The event concluded with a panel discussion on quality assurance in times of scarce resources. SRF presenter Sandro Brotz discussed with Stefan Ryser (Blue News), Sabine Eva Wittwer (Migros Magazine) and Marcello Odermatt (The Covenant) discussed the challenges and solutions from the perspective of the editorial offices. Odermatt said: "The fact that the lemon has been squeezed further and further has forced us to focus our journalism over the last ten years." Wittwer said: "We have much less time in which we are basically unproductive." But it is precisely in this "dead time" that ideas and thus diverse reporting are created. Ryser added: "What bothers me is that the whole discussion is often just about saving money and not about how to reach young people."

"The intensive discussions show how important the exchange of ideas and new perspectives are in the industry," summarize Fabienne Kinzelmann and Franz Fischlin, co-presidents of QuaJou. "Especially in times of upheaval, platforms like Journalism Day are needed where we media professionals can talk openly about challenges and develop solutions together. The high number of participants confirms our commitment to quality in journalism."

Free admission to Journalism Day, which traditionally takes place at the IAM Institute of Applied Media Studies at the ZHAW, was made possible by sponsors and the association's financial reserves. This decision was made against the backdrop of the current cost-cutting programs at almost all major publishing houses as well as SRG and Keystone-SDA.

The next JournalismDay will take place on November 20, 2025.