20 Minuten establishes board for social responsibility
Effective immediately, the 20 Minuten editorial team in German-speaking Switzerland will be supported by the Social Responsibility Board, a committee of 17 employees that develops guidelines for non-offensive journalism in Switzerland’s most widely read publication and works with the editorial team to implement them.
On the initiative of the editor-in-chief, a 17-member Social Responsibility Board has been formed at 20 Minuten in German-speaking Switzerland, consisting of employees from the editor-in-chief, editorial department, picture editorial department and the social media team. The head of the board is Zora Schaad, Head of Story ad interim (picture left). Remo Schraner (right), journalist from the Story department, is the deputy head.
The board's goal is to consistently use politically and socio-politically neutral, non-injurious language across all channels, i.e. in the app and online, in the newspaper, but also in videos, podcasts and on social media. To that end, starting in January 2021, the board plans to gradually roll out a variety of manuals to help editors avoid using hurtful or loaded language. The manuals will cover topics such as anti-Semitism, sexism, racism, homophobia, sexual identity, sexual violence against children and forced marriage.
Support from different sides
20 Minuten is supported by the Swiss Child Protection Foundation, the Pro Mente Sana Foundation, the Foundation against Racism and Anti-Semitism and many other leading Swiss organizations in their respective fields. These organizations and foundations are also brought together to form an external committee that advises the Social Responsibility Board and provides regular feedback on 20 Minuten's reporting.
