SVP punishes media by not advertising
Because Christoph Blocher was dissatisfied with the media's role in the Enforcement Initiative (DSI), the SVP will no longer run any advertisements for the upcoming initiative.
From an advertising perspective, the referendum campaign on the revision of the Asylum Act is likely to be a meagre one: The supporters lack the money for paid advertisements, as CVP campaign manager Laura Curau announced on Tuesday, according to the Tages-Anzeiger. And from a financial point of view, this is probably even more drastic: the opponents - namely the SVP - have lost the desire to financially support their much-maligned media with advertisements.
According to Schweiz am Sonntag, head of strategy Christoph Blocher commissioned an external analysis following the lost DSI referendum campaign. The conclusion: the media were the central factor. According to Blocher, the intention was deliberately to talk about the SVP rather than the issue. The party was portrayed as wanting to abolish the rule of law, human rights, democracy and the state. Blocher speaks of a "campaign of vilification" that - with the exception of the Basler Zeitung and Weltwoche - was conducted by all media titles. The editors-in-chief were at the forefront of this.
The SVP draws conclusions from the analysis study. "Should we pay for advertising space if opponents can publish their arguments for free?" Blocher is quoted as saying in Schweiz am Sonntag. The private media in particular should be held "accountable" with this measure. According to Blocher, they now have to prove that they really are the fourth estate in the state. In other words, the SVP expects more balanced reporting.
According to the political scientist Claude Longchamp, who Tages-Anzeiger described the decision as "remarkable", the decision also fits in with the general trend that fewer and fewer players in Switzerland are prepared to invest a lot of money in referendum campaigns. There are two reasons for this: Firstly, there is a growing realization that referendum victories cannot be bought. Secondly, it is becoming increasingly difficult to influence the media through advertisements. They have a basic attitude and express this in the referendum campaign, says Longchamp. As a result, the parties prefer to spend their money where they can have a direct influence - i.e. via their own publications, online platforms or social media. (hae)
