Positive start to the 2006 Publishers' Congress

At the general meeting of the Swiss Press Association (VSP) in St. Moritz on Thursday, it became clear that the Swiss Press Council, the body for self-regulation of the print media, and the publishers are talking to each other again. In mid-October, both sides want to start talks on the controversial admission of publishers to the Press Council. A year ago, the fronts were still hardened, but now a meeting is planned. 
 
Publishers' initiative The publishers then took the initiative to set up their own self-regulatory body. A few weeks ago, the Board of Trustees of the Press Council approached the publishers with a view to holding joint talks on a seat, Guido Blumer, publisher of the Winterthur Stadtblatt, told SDA. Swiss television had also been invited. The publishers are aiming for cooperation in media ethics with substantial representation on the Press Council. However, the publishers reject a junction with a CLA containing minimum wages. 
 
Indirect press subsidies to be retained Publishers want to continue to fight for indirect press subsidies to be retained. At the end of 2007, the current funding of CHF 80 million for the delivery of newspapers by post will expire. "There are justified hopes that the indirect press subsidy will be maintained beyond 2008," said Tamedia CEO Martin Kall. Should it be discontinued, this would have major financial consequences, especially for small newspapers. 
 
Trade unions open to talks The trade unions, which are represented on the Press Council and rejected the publishers' initiative last year, are open to talks. However, they do not want to compromise on ethics, as Impressum Central Secretary Urs Thalmann said. 
 
The "Newspaper at School" project, which was launched around two years ago, is also a complete success. More than 400 classes have taken part in this project so far. The aim of this initiative is to introduce young people to reading newspapers. The Swiss newspaper publishers send the newspaper to the pupils in a class for several weeks, and also to their homes at weekends. With the consent of the education authorities, editors discuss the texts with the pupils. The project, which has been launched in several cantons, has met with great enthusiasm from parents, pupils and teachers, but also from editors, Toni Vetterli, Head of Marketing at the Swiss Press Association, told SDA in St. Moritz on Thursday.