Bernese cultural representatives criticize BZ

Bernese cultural figures are criticizing the "Berner Zeitung" BZ, which was redesigned at the beginning of April. In a letter to the editor, representatives of Bernese cultural institutions point to an "appalling disregard for culture" in their regional newspaper, as reported by the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" NZZ. The abolition of the traditional sections, which normally organize the day's events thematically, is particularly disturbing. The public is thus forced to "laboriously filter out reports on cultural events from among many other reports and scattered across the many local editorial offices." According to editors-in-chief Markus Eisenhut and Michael Hug, culture is still given sufficient space. "We are of the opinion that although these traditional boundaries make it easier for a highly specialized audience to find their way around the paper, they no longer do justice to the increasing interconnectedness of all areas of life in practical life," the two comment. Furthermore, there can be no question of assigning cultural reporting to the local editorial offices. They still report on cultural topics in all sections of the newspaper and have even created a new vehicle with "Kultour" (a calendar of events with reports), Eisenhut and Hug explain in the NZZ.