Media Freedom Campaign: Philippe Nantermod and Andri Silberschmidt new members of the Board of Directors

The non-partisan association will continue to be chaired by National Councillor Natalie Rickli (SVP). The Campaign for Media Freedom is preparing intensively for the upcoming debate on "public service". Improving the framework conditions for private media providers and the associated strengthening of media diversity and competition are also key objectives of the association for 2016.

In addition to President Natalie Rickli (National Councillor SVP) and Vice President Christian Wasserfallen (National Councillor FDP), National Councillors Thomas Müller (SVP), Marco Romano (CVP) and Gregor Rutz (SVP) as well as Martin Baltisser (SVP), Pierre Bessard (Liberal Institute), Filippo Leutenegger (City Councillor FDP) and Thomas Maier (former National Councillor GLP) were confirmed on the Board. With the two newly elected members Philippe Nantermod and Andri Silberschmidt, the Board of Aktion Medienfreiheit has been further strengthened from the liberal camp. Nantermod was elected to the National Council in fall 2015. He is Vice President of the FDP Switzerland. Andri Silberschmidt will further rejuvenate the Board. The 22-year-old from Zurich has been President of the Young Liberals Switzerland since April of this year.

Politically, the Campaign for Media Freedom can look back on an eventful year, according to the press release. In June 2015, the referendum on the Radio and Television Act (RTVA), which the Campaign for Media Freedom was at the forefront of campaigning against, only narrowly failed. In the autumn, the Campaign for Media Freedom presented a comprehensive position paper with regard to the "public service" debate, as well as the HSG's study on "Service privé", which analyzes the performance of private media. The study sheds light on aspects that are not mentioned in the conventional Bakom papers. It should be of corresponding importance in the forthcoming debate on the Federal Council's "Service public" report, which is expected in June.

Aktion Medienfreiheit wants to ensure that private providers are given better framework conditions by reducing state intervention (legal, content-related and financial). The principle of subsidiarity should also be strengthened in media policy. The Internet should also be left to the private sector. In the view of the Media Freedom Campaign, the SRG license should be revised in a targeted manner and, if the "public service" debate has not yet been concluded, extended by a maximum of one year (and not 10 years as planned) so that the - hopefully liberal - media policy decisions of Parliament can be taken into account.