Bern: New online newspaper planned
A new online newspaper aims to make its mark on Bern’s media landscape. Behind the project is a group of journalists, politicians, and cultural figures who are calling for «greater diversity of opinion, more analysis, and journalistic foresight.».
The core members include Bern city councillors Urs Frieden (Greens) and Thomas Göttin (SP), lawyer Willi Egloff, journalists Manuel Gnos and Magdalena Schindler and museum director Jacqueline Strauss. According to their own statements, they were able to attract personalities such as the writer Pedro Lenz, the former Vice-Chancellor and Federal Council spokesperson Oswald Sigg, the former Bernese governor Regula Mader, the rapper Greis and the radio man and comedian Semih Yavsaner, alias Müslüm, to the sponsorship.
The online newspaper aims to report on local politics, culture and everyday life from the perspective of the city's residents, as the initiators announced on Thursday. The newspaper will also take ecological and social commitment seriously. It also serves as a platform for discussions.
"critical and partisan, but not party-political"
If the necessary funds are raised, the team plans to launch in spring 2012. A professional editorial team of five or six people will take care of the content. The journalists will be independent and "critical and partisan, but not party-political". The budget is estimated at around half a million francs. The online newspaper does not yet have a name. This will be decided in the next step. The editorial concepts will also be further developed, aspects of technical implementation will be discussed and partnerships with similar projects in Bern and beyond will be established. (SDA)
