Swiss media professionals leave Japan
Several Swiss journalists reporting from Japan are currently trying to leave the country. Swiss Television (SF) has advised its employees to cross the border as quickly as possible.
China correspondent Barbara Lüthi is trying to get to Akita, a city in north-western Japan. From there, she wants to leave Japan by plane, said Tristan Brenn, deputy editor-in-chief and head of news, when asked by the news agency SDA on Tuesday. Harry Stitzel, producer and editor at "Schweiz aktuell", flew to Japan on Saturday with a Swiss rescue team and traveled to Tome. When the German rescue team, which was also in Tome, decided to travel out of the country, Stitzel joined them. The editor is currently on his way to Misawa in the north-east of Japan to take a plane away from Japan.
However, Christoph Wanner and Thomas Stalder will remain in the country for the time being. The latter is an editor at "Tagesschau" and is on vacation in Japan. According to Brenn, he is 250 kilometers away from Tokyo in Nagoya. Wanner works as a freelance journalist for SF and is on his way to Osaka. Tages-Anzeiger correspondent Christoph Neidhardt also wants to reach this place. The second correspondent of the Tages-Anzeiger, who like Neidhardt also reports from Japan for the Süddeutsche, will soon be leaving for China, said Christoph Zimmer, media spokesman at Tamedia.
NZZ uses internal contacts
Le Temps correspondent Miguel Quintana has already left Tokyo for Osaka. Urs Morf, Asia correspondent for Swiss Radio DRS, is also trying to get there. He is currently in the Japanese capital Tokyo and wants to enter Japan, said Manuela Kaech, media spokeswoman for Swiss Radio and Television (SRF). "We consider the situation to be sufficiently safe".
An employee of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), Asia correspondent Bernhard Bartsch, is still in Tokyo. He is usually stationed in Beijing and plans to return there on Wednesday, said Luzi Bernet, head of news at the NZZ. The NZZ may send its Southeast Asia correspondent Marco Kauffmann to Japan. Where he is traveling to is currently open, said Bernet. The newspaper is trying to obtain information via freelance journalists. There are also people working on the editorial team in Zurich who have good contacts in Japan. They are also trying to obtain information from them. (SDA)
