25 years of UBI - election criteria criticized
On Thursday, the Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and Television looked back on its 25th anniversary. Criticism came from CVP National Councillor Pius Segmüller. He calls for a body with representatives from all areas of society, including theologians.
In a letter to mark the anniversary, the UBI took stock according to SDA: on average, it examined 21 complaints per year. Around 90 percent of these concerned SRG programs, with the remainder relating to various private radio and television broadcasters. The most frequently complained about program was "10 vor 10", followed by "Kassensturz", "Tagesschau" and "Rundschau". More than half of the complaints concerned a violation of the principle of fairness, which aims to protect the public's freedom of opinion. A violation of the principle of diversity was the second most frequently cited complaint.
Every four years, the Federal Council elects nine people to work for the UBI on a part-time basis. The central feature of the UBI is its independence, according to the press release. Important for the election is expertise in law, journalism or media studies. Lucerne CVP National Councillor Pius Segmüller criticizes these selection criteria: The UBI should be made up of people from all areas of society, Segmüller said on request. He is thinking of housewives, workers, politicians and theologians, among others. Otherwise there would be a risk of one-sidedness. According to Segmüller, decisions are always made in favor of the media. He would also like the UBI to call in specialists from time to time to make a decision. Segmüller submitted an interpellation to the National Council in September in support of his request. He was commander of the Swiss Guard in the Vatican from 1998 to 2002.
The UBI media release also states that, in a European comparison, the supervision exercised by the UBI over the content of editorial broadcasts appears to be rather liberal. The UBI can only take action in response to formal complaints and sanctions can only be imposed in exceptional cases.
Every four years, the Federal Council elects nine people to work for the UBI on a part-time basis. The central feature of the UBI is its independence, according to the press release. Important for the election is expertise in law, journalism or media studies. Lucerne CVP National Councillor Pius Segmüller criticizes these selection criteria: The UBI should be made up of people from all areas of society, Segmüller said on request. He is thinking of housewives, workers, politicians and theologians, among others. Otherwise there would be a risk of one-sidedness. According to Segmüller, decisions are always made in favor of the media. He would also like the UBI to call in specialists from time to time to make a decision. Segmüller submitted an interpellation to the National Council in September in support of his request. He was commander of the Swiss Guard in the Vatican from 1998 to 2002.
The UBI media release also states that, in a European comparison, the supervision exercised by the UBI over the content of editorial broadcasts appears to be rather liberal. The UBI can only take action in response to formal complaints and sanctions can only be imposed in exceptional cases.
