Press Council President Studer observes intensive media ethics discussion

Discussions about professional ethics are increasingly becoming part of everyday media life. This is the observation of Peter Studer, President of the Swiss Press Council, as can be seen in an interview on Journalisten.ch. In contrast to 50 years ago, the number of complaints has increased from a handful a year to around a hundred. Studer suspects that this increase is due to competitive pressure between the media. In his opinion, quality newspapers should rely heavily on the capital of credibility, which in turn requires quality craftsmanship and an ethical basis. The 71-year-old Studer can look back on a journalistic career spanning more than fifty years. He has been President of the Press Council since 2001. As can be seen from the interview, he is planning to step down at the end of 2007. Studer is convinced that the Press Council should not be made up solely of media professionals and representatives of the public. He would also like to see representatives of the SRG as well as publishers and hopes that the negotiations between the Press Council and publishers will come to a good end in 2007.