DRS 4 causes criticism with broadcast of Blocher's speech
The new information channel DRS 4 News will broadcast Christoph Blocher's speech at the SVP Albisgüetl conference on Friday evening. There is opposition to this from the SP and Arbus, an association for critical media use. The head of DRS 4, Lis Borner, defends the editorial decision.
The new information channel DRS 4 News will broadcast Christoph Blocher's speech at the SVP Albisgüetl conference on Friday evening. There is opposition to this from the SP and Arbus, an association for critical media use. The head of DRS 4, Lis Borner, defends the editorial decision. Arbus describes the live broadcast as a "derailment" and a "publicity stunt" for DRS 4 News. In doing so, the SRG broadcaster placed itself "in the propaganda service of the SVP", the association wrote in a communiqué on Friday. The broadcast is not the task of a public broadcaster and strains the trust of the population.
Criticism has also come from the SP: the fact that two SRG broadcasters are giving Christoph Blocher such a platform is untenable. The former Federal Councillor will also appear on the "Arena" show on Swiss television on Friday, prompting the other parties to stay away from the program. The SP will examine internally what measures can be taken, General Secretary Thomas Christen told the news agency SDA, confirming a report in the Tages-Anzeiger.
Lis Borner, editorial director of DRS 4, defended the broadcast when asked by SDA. It is one of the station's aims to broadcast and classify formative "key events" live. A conversation between Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger and the author Urs Widmer was the first broadcast of its kind. Blocher's speech will not be broadcast without commentary.
The speech was important in that the SVP wanted to explain at the conference how it envisioned the announced opposition policy. Borner said that they wanted to hear what differences there were to the SVP's previous policy, which had also "not always been state-supporting".
Incidentally, the entire Albisgüetlitagung will also be broadcast by U1 TV - as the last major program before it is banned from the analog network. So far there has been no public criticism of this, which is probably due to the fact that the TV station is not fee-financed.
Criticism has also come from the SP: the fact that two SRG broadcasters are giving Christoph Blocher such a platform is untenable. The former Federal Councillor will also appear on the "Arena" show on Swiss television on Friday, prompting the other parties to stay away from the program. The SP will examine internally what measures can be taken, General Secretary Thomas Christen told the news agency SDA, confirming a report in the Tages-Anzeiger.
Lis Borner, editorial director of DRS 4, defended the broadcast when asked by SDA. It is one of the station's aims to broadcast and classify formative "key events" live. A conversation between Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger and the author Urs Widmer was the first broadcast of its kind. Blocher's speech will not be broadcast without commentary.
The speech was important in that the SVP wanted to explain at the conference how it envisioned the announced opposition policy. Borner said that they wanted to hear what differences there were to the SVP's previous policy, which had also "not always been state-supporting".
Incidentally, the entire Albisgüetlitagung will also be broadcast by U1 TV - as the last major program before it is banned from the analog network. So far there has been no public criticism of this, which is probably due to the fact that the TV station is not fee-financed.
