Tamedia: Ignaz Staub confirmed as ombudsman
Tamedia's Board of Directors has re-elected Ignaz Staub to serve another two-year term as ombudsman for German-speaking Switzerland.
Ignaz Staub has headed the ombudsman's office since 2010 and receives complaints of an editorial or publishing nature concerning Tamedia publications in Germany and those of the 20 Minuten media group throughout Switzerland. According to the press release, all submissions are treated confidentially and responded to within 60 days.
Recurring topics that prompt readers to submit comments include religion, medicine and the school system, Staub told the SDA news agency when asked. In politics, it is primarily the Middle East conflict. Surprisingly few submissions were received about last year's elections. On the other hand, the selection of readers' letters is a constant source of complaint. This is despite the fact that the editorial offices clearly stated that no correspondence would be entered into. Many readers are frustrated when their letters are not published and suspect "censorship". Of the approximately 12,000 letters to the editor sent to the Tages-Anzeiger alone each year, around a quarter are published.
Ombudsman Staub has no authority to issue instructions or make decisions. "At best, I am a moral authority," he says. Once a month, he writes a column in the Tages-Anzeiger and the Bund "on selected topics that are on readers' minds". And once a year, he speaks at a meeting of all the editors-in-chief of the publishing house.
