Der Bund: Bern city council rejects financial support
The state of the press in the capital was a topic of discussion at the Bern City Council on Thursday. In an urgent interpellation, Luzius Theiler (GPB) called on the City Council to take action against the impending closure of the *Bund*. However, the City Council has rejected providing financial assistance to the newspaper.
The press landscape in the capital was a topic of discussion in Bern's city council on Thursday. In an urgent interpellation, Luzius Theiler (GPB) demanded that the city council do something about the impending demise of the Bund. A monopoly newspaper in Bern would be a disaster, Theiler explained his motion. In his response, Mayor Alexander Tschäppät assured that the municipal council would do everything in its modest power to find a "viable solution".
According to the written response to the interpellation, state support for the press is not acceptable to the majority in Switzerland. For this reason, the municipal council also lacks the instruments to make a decisive contribution to maintaining media and opinion diversity. The city government can therefore only appeal to those responsible at Tamedia not to give up on the Confederation.
The municipal council considers contacting other publishing houses in German-speaking Switzerland, as suggested by Theiler, to be unhelpful. However, if the Bund and Berner Zeitung were to be merged, it has in mind a type of monitoring model similar to that which exists for the St. Galler-Tagblatt. There, a well-known, independent and professionally experienced person would monitor the performance of the monopoly newspaper on an ongoing basis and periodically recognize its achievements.
The city government is doing what it can, Tschäppät assured him. Tamedia CEO Martin Kall had credibly assured him that there was currently no decision in favor of one or other of the models under discussion and that all options were being examined.
According to the written response to the interpellation, state support for the press is not acceptable to the majority in Switzerland. For this reason, the municipal council also lacks the instruments to make a decisive contribution to maintaining media and opinion diversity. The city government can therefore only appeal to those responsible at Tamedia not to give up on the Confederation.
The municipal council considers contacting other publishing houses in German-speaking Switzerland, as suggested by Theiler, to be unhelpful. However, if the Bund and Berner Zeitung were to be merged, it has in mind a type of monitoring model similar to that which exists for the St. Galler-Tagblatt. There, a well-known, independent and professionally experienced person would monitor the performance of the monopoly newspaper on an ongoing basis and periodically recognize its achievements.
The city government is doing what it can, Tschäppät assured him. Tamedia CEO Martin Kall had credibly assured him that there was currently no decision in favor of one or other of the models under discussion and that all options were being examined.
