Ombudsman understands puff criticism
The anniversary episode of SRF’s «Samschtig-Jass» caused some viewers to blush: Two people contacted the ombudsman because of a segment filmed at a brothel in Thurgau. The ombudsman expressed understanding.
The shoot was inappropriate, he wrote in a statement on Tuesday. For the 750th anniversary broadcast of the Jass show, outside presenter Reto Scherrer was looking for telephone jass players in special places - and found them in a brothel in Thurgau of all places. The boss of the establishment became a telephone jasser. The ombudsman received two complaints about this program. One viewer criticized SRF for giving the impression that everything in a brothel was "harmless, cute and cheerful". However, the trade portrayed was contemptuous of women. The second critic felt that, as a Catholic, he had been taken for a fool because a nun was also sitting at the Jass table in this program. Inappropriate, but not crossing the line
As ombudsman Achille Casanova writes in his statement, he understands the critical reactions. The fact that outside presenter Scherrer ended up in a brothel, of all places, was inappropriate. However, the program did not overstep the legal boundaries. In his verdict, the ombudsman fully agrees with SRF director Ruedi Matter, who had already criticized the programme himself. The anniversary program was certainly not a journalistic flight of fancy, Matter told Blick. But it was not a scandal either, especially as the scenes shown were adult-friendly. (SDA)
