Oeffentlichkeitsgesetz.ch gives access to official documents
With immediate effect, a request for access to an official document can be created and sent via the new internet platform Oeffentlichkeitsgesetz.ch. The aim is to give media professionals and citizens a better insight into the Federal Administration. The project was developed and implemented by the editorial team of the Sonntagszeitung.
Since the introduction of the Federal Act on the Principle of Public Access in the Federal Administration five years ago, official documents may only be kept secret in clearly defined cases. "In the filing cabinets and data repositories of the administration, there are vast amounts of interesting information that would actually be publicly accessible, but of which nobody knows anything," says the website. The platform, which was set up by media professionals from German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland, aims to change this.
According to the website, media professionals rely on confidential information from those in the know in their work. They can click on the "whistle-blower line" on the website and post their information there. "If we are made aware of publicly relevant documents, we request their release - legally and based on the Publicity Act - and fight for them before a judge if necessary," it continues. The document will then be published on Oeffentlichkeitsgesetz.ch published.
The Conference of Editors-in-Chief and the Association of Federal Parliament Journalists have taken on the patronage of the project. The main sponsors of the Internet platform are Tamedia and the Sonntagszeitung. The development was also financed by Konsumenteninfo, the publisher of Ktipp and Saldo, and the Oertli Foundation. The French version of the Internet forum will be launched in the fall.
