Complaints against "Rundschau" rejected
SRG Ombudsman Achille Casanova has dismissed all complaints regarding the «Rundschau» report on the Gripen fighter jet. The program did not violate the principle of factual accuracy.
After the broadcast, the ombudsman's office received 110 complaints (Werbewoche.ch reported). The unusually large number of submissions was unique and was due to the appeal by the "Pro-Fighter Aircraft Information Group" on the Internet, according to the Inside SRG SSR newsletter published on Tuesday. This had included instructions on how to write a letter of protest.
Accusation of one-sidedness
The Gripen film report on "Rundschau" and the subsequent interview with Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer caused a stir in mid-April. Many viewers vented their anger by sending an e-mail to the SRG ombudsman. Many complaints described the report as "one-sided and propaganda against Gripen," according to the newsletter. The critics considered the comparison with the air forces of other European countries to be questionable. In addition, some viewers saw the German arms expert as not neutral. He had described the procurement of Gripen as too expensive and unnecessary. The way moderator Sandro Brotz conducted the discussion was also seen as disturbing. He had acted arrogantly and aggressively toward the defense minister.
Conversation "cures" shortcomings of the film
The SRG ombudsman also criticized the film report. The report did not meet "the high standards of balance required in the run-up to a referendum". In addition, important aspects in favor of Gripen were hardly taken into account, according to a reply from Casanova to one of the complainants. The one-sidedness of the film was, however, "largely cured" by the subsequent nine-minute discussion with Federal Councillor Maurer. Maurer had been able to explain his point of view in detail and "comprehensively contradict" the most important points of criticism raised in the film. According to Casanova, the moderator's questions were "sometimes unnecessarily provocative" or "simply banal" - but Brotz never lost the required decorum. He also asked the "inherently problematic questions" transparently and openly. His interlocutor Ueli Maurer had cleverly used the opportunity offered to make the case for Gripen. Ombudsman Casanova therefore came to the conclusion that the audience was perfectly capable of "forming its own opinion". (SDA)
