SRF director not satisfied with Oprah sketch
The sketch about the American talk show host Oprah Winfrey sparked outrage among creative artists. SRF director Ruedi Matter is also not entirely satisfied with the sketch, as he admitted on Tuesday.
In the sketch, which was broadcast on Swiss television on December 29 as part of the "Final mockeryWhen the TV show aired its "Annual Review", the television producers took aim at the "Täschligate" affair surrounding Oprah Winfrey. After a visit to a luxury boutique in Zurich, the millionaire talk show host complained that she had been discriminated against. Parodist Birgit Steinegger appeared in the sketch with a black painted face, frizzy wig and thick lips as Mrs. Nogumi, who makes the staff of a boutique sweat. Several creative artists then wrote a letter of protest to SRF and threatened to press charges for violating the anti-racism penal code. In particular, they condemn "blackfacing", i.e. painting white artists black, which they see as a fundamentally racist cultural technique.
"Defending the freedom of satire"
As SRF Director Ruedi Matter said on Tuesday at the SRF annual media conference, he himself is not entirely happy with the sketch. "In principle, the freedom of satire must be defended", he said. In general, he sees no problem with satire at SRF. However, this current example is "certainly not the funniest and also not the best that we have shown in the past year".
Display remains an issue
For Raphael Urweider, President of the Authors of Switzerland (AdS) and co-author of the protest letter, a complaint against SRF is still an issue, as he told sda on request. The creative artists would also like to discuss satire with the TV producers. "I like humor myself, even incorrect humor. But in a more reflective way, please." (SDA)
