Press Council: Dignitas boss successfully complains about NZZ am Sonntag

The conflict revolves around reports in the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper last May. It was reported that Dignitas had disregarded the last wishes of an 81-year-old woman who ended her life with the help of the organization. The ashes of the deceased were not sent to her home in northern Germany and buried there, as the woman had wanted. Instead, the urn was dumped in Lake Zurich.
After the report appeared, Minelli demanded a correction: It was not true that he had disregarded the woman's last wishes, he wrote, and also provided written evidence of this. Minelli's objection was included in the following edition of the newspaper, but was immediately countered by a former dying woman who confirmed that the last wishes had been violated.

Two out of three points approved
Minelli claimed to the Press Council that he had not had the opportunity to comment in advance. In addition, the duty to correct had been violated and the credibility of the former Dignitas employees had not been sufficiently verified. On the last point, the Press Council found no violation of the guidelines, as it writes. However, it approved the other two points.
Although the journalist had repeatedly asked to speak to Minelli, he had never said what it was about. According to the Press Council, this would have been essential in view of the seriousness of the allegations. The obligation to be heard was therefore breached. According to the Press Council, the duty to correct was also breached: The newspaper should have made it unmistakably clear to readers that, as set out in writing, the original funeral wishes had been changed. It would have had the opportunity, "based on its sources", to question the conclusiveness of the order at the same time.