Media portray political action in a distorted way

The media cannot compensate for the democratic deficit of state-private networks. On the contrary, they would exacerbate it, according to a press release issued by the ZDA on Thursday.

State actors are held much more responsible for the success or failure of political decisions - even if the non-state partners are actually responsible for implementation. Public officials are publicly known figures and have a higher news value, the report continues. This is particularly true for media with a strong commercial focus.

When things go wrong, it's the politicians' fault

"Media professionals should scrutinize the actions of non-governmental bodies more closely instead of reflexively blaming politicians when things go wrong," demands ZDA President Daniel Kübler in the press release.

Lack of control in public-private partnerships 

Governments and parliaments elected by the people have democratic legitimacy, according to the Center for Democracy at the University of Zurich. If something goes wrong, they can be held accountable by the citizens.

The situation is different for mixed sponsorships. Here, the state works together with private companies, non-governmental organizations or expert groups. They are on the increase because government tasks are increasingly being delegated to the private sector. Democratic control in such networks is inadequate. Responsibility is shared and can be shifted back and forth in the event of mistakes.

The research team examined decision-making processes and media reports on public transport and economic development in eight European metropolitan areas including Zurich. (SDA)