Boycott reason Blocher?
Oliver Classen on the Revival of the Swiss Party Press
Oliver Classen on the Swiss party press revivalAs expected, Christoph Blocher did not answer the question of whether he was a silent partner in the Jean Frey publishing house (JF) during last Monday's collective interview in Zurich's Kaufleuten. This crucial question for the credibility of Weltwoche had been posed the day before by editor-in-chief Andreas Durisch - and thus placed his SonntagsZeitung in the anti-SVP phalanx of Tamedia, which Facts and Tages-Anzeiger had already positioned weeks ago.
In general, Switzerland's political polarization is strongly reflected in its opinion-forming organs. The NZZ, for example, which has been badly hit by the FDP's defeat, continues to bravely practice Blocher-hating. And the chief opportunist of the Ringier Group, Frank A. Meyer, has eaten kilos of chalk, but is now flirting with the future Federal Councillor just as uninhibitedly as he previously condemned him.
Trendsetters in terms of journalistic partisanship, however, are Oberweltwöchler Roger Köppel and his capo Filippo Leutenegger. It seems probable that their strictly right-wing liberal course has brought the SVP one or two votes. What is certain, however, is that the many implicit and one explicit election recommendation did not harm the "Duo Triomphal" economically. On the contrary: the turnaround in the reader market also brought the JF flagship an anti-cyclical turnaround in the advertising business.
So flying the flag is worthwhile again - even or especially in our
supposedly post-ideological times. Provided, however, that it wears the right, i.e. business-friendly, colors. Otherwise, you might end up like Tamedia in 1979, when the car importer and SVP National Councillor Walter Frey took out a
magazine article with years of advertising withdrawal. A left-wing advertisement boycott against Weltwoche, however, would remain utopian even if Blocher were to come out as a JF shareholder. And not even because of insufficient good reasons, but simply due to a lack of red-green-minded advertisers.
> Oliver Classen, Editor
In general, Switzerland's political polarization is strongly reflected in its opinion-forming organs. The NZZ, for example, which has been badly hit by the FDP's defeat, continues to bravely practice Blocher-hating. And the chief opportunist of the Ringier Group, Frank A. Meyer, has eaten kilos of chalk, but is now flirting with the future Federal Councillor just as uninhibitedly as he previously condemned him.
Trendsetters in terms of journalistic partisanship, however, are Oberweltwöchler Roger Köppel and his capo Filippo Leutenegger. It seems probable that their strictly right-wing liberal course has brought the SVP one or two votes. What is certain, however, is that the many implicit and one explicit election recommendation did not harm the "Duo Triomphal" economically. On the contrary: the turnaround in the reader market also brought the JF flagship an anti-cyclical turnaround in the advertising business.
So flying the flag is worthwhile again - even or especially in our
supposedly post-ideological times. Provided, however, that it wears the right, i.e. business-friendly, colors. Otherwise, you might end up like Tamedia in 1979, when the car importer and SVP National Councillor Walter Frey took out a
magazine article with years of advertising withdrawal. A left-wing advertisement boycott against Weltwoche, however, would remain utopian even if Blocher were to come out as a JF shareholder. And not even because of insufficient good reasons, but simply due to a lack of red-green-minded advertisers.
> Oliver Classen, Editor
