Yearbook 2012 "Quality of the Media": More Relevance - Less Background

At the same time, the pressure to stay current has led to less background information being provided in 2011, meaning that the ability to contextualize events has continued to decline. A long-term comparison shows that low-quality media were used significantly more frequently in 2011 than they were ten years ago. This is reported by the Research Unit on Public Sphere and Society (FÖG) at the University of Zurich in a press release regarding the «Yearbook on Media Quality – Switzerland Suisse Svizzera 2012.».

In-depth analyses also show that:

– that the news websites of most major Swiss newspapers lag far behind their print counterparts in terms of quality,
– that in election coverage, there has been a shift in focus toward the Federal Council at the expense of the parliamentary elections,
– that political campaigns have a significant influence on crime reporting as well as on the public’s perception of threat, and that crime reporting is heavily skewed compared to police statistics,
– that while media criticism has increased thanks to civil society actors, it remains largely overlooked due to its limited coverage in the news media.

For the third time, the FÖG has examined the supply of news media in Switzerland, their quality, usage, and revenue. Among other things, the study shows that, in 2011—a year marked by crisis and upheaval—Swiss news media placed significantly more relevant political and economic topics on their agendas than in the previous year, the FÖG press release continues. The downside of this urgent world—shaped by the global economic crisis, Fukushima, and the Arab Spring—is a reduction in journalistic contextualization. When comparing all media types, the proportion of contextual reporting declined most sharply among subscription newspapers compared to the previous year. The core competency of subscription newspapers—conveying contextual knowledge—reached its resource limits in 2011.

New Quality Scoring System

The newly implemented quality scoring system makes it possible to rank the journalistic quality of the 46 media outlets examined across the categories of print, radio, TV, and online. While in 2011, public radio news programs from German-speaking Switzerland ranked at the top in terms of quality, free and tabloid newspapers—both online and offline—as well as the news sites of subscription-based publications from French-speaking Switzerland and private broadcasters ranked at the bottom of the quality spectrum. In between lie the Sunday newspapers, the two best news sites, and the subscription press. Some regional subscription titles rank close to the free newspapers.

Rising online usage, falling ratings for print media and broadcast television

In print and broadcast media, the reach of news outlets continues to shrink; that is, circulation and usage figures are not growing in line with the population—or are even declining. In contrast, the use of online news sites is increasing. However, the culture of free content on the internet, the accelerated pace of news production, and the uncertainty of revenue in the online advertising market due to growing mobile usage are hindering efforts to improve quality. Online, there remains too little time and staff for in-depth reporting. At the same time, the focus on click-through rates leads to a high proportion of soft news.

The Growing Importance of Low-Quality Media

The long-term shifts in media consumption across different media formats mean that, in 2011, the Swiss population is being provided with lower-quality journalism than it was 10 years ago: the population is being reached less by higher-quality publications. The result is a picture of a quality pyramid with an eroding apex, a crumbling middle segment, and a base of low-quality media that has become significantly broader.

Looking at the 46 media outlets analyzed for content, low-quality publications have gained ground in recent years in German-speaking Switzerland and, to an even greater extent, in French-speaking Switzerland. In French-speaking Switzerland, low-quality publications—such as tabloids and free newspapers—as well as low-quality private radio stations reached 45 percent of the population in 2011, representing the largest share. In German-speaking Switzerland, low-quality media outlets reach 37 percent of the population. In Italian-speaking Switzerland, the reach of low-quality media outlets is currently even lower. However, the situation has been in flux since the launch of *20 minuti* in the fall of 2011.

High media concentration and limited competition

There is a high degree of media concentration in the print and online sectors. The media company Tamedia AG now holds a market share of over 40 percent in the print media sector throughout Switzerland. This market position in the print media sector and the convergence with the online sector restrict competition due to economies of scale and scope.

In French-speaking Switzerland, the situation in the print media market is particularly pronounced. Tamedia holds a 68 percent market share there. Concentration has also advanced in the online segment. Following the integration of the former Edipresse news sites into the new Newsnet, Tamedia has increased its market share in this language region to 28 percent.

Troubling Revenue Trends

In a long-term comparison, only free newspapers in the print media sector are benefiting from rising advertising revenue. In 2011, the free newspapers 20 Minuten, 20 minutes, and Blick am Abend accounted for no less than 31 percent of the gross advertising revenue of all 46 Swiss print titles surveyed. Overall, the print media has lost one-third of its commercial advertising revenue since the year 2000. In addition, the public’s willingness to pay continues to decline.

The online advertising market cannot compensate for this situation. Although it continues to post double-digit growth rates, its gross advertising revenue of 521 million Swiss francs represents only a fraction of the corresponding revenue from the print media market (net revenue of the print media market in 2011: approximately 2 billion Swiss francs). The radio and television advertising market is more stable. However, foreign private television broadcasters capture no less than 37 percent of the Swiss television advertising market without making a significant contribution to news journalism. A comparison of the private broadcasters examined also shows that neither higher advertising revenues—i.e., financial resources—nor a licensing obligation improve quality. The commitment to public service is also a decisive factor.

Experimental Setup and Methodology

This study of media quality is conducted in two stages. First, media supply—that is, circulation or usage, revenue, and ownership structures of the news media in Switzerland—is examined. In 2011, there were 146 media titles that met the required coverage rate of 0.5 percent of the resident population in each language region. Second, among these titles, the 46 most significant titles across all media genres (print, radio, television, online news sites) in Switzerland’s three major language regions are subjected to a content-based evaluation based on the quality criteria of diversity, relevance, timeliness, and professionalism.

2012 Yearbook «Media Quality — Schweiz Suisse Svizzera»

The goal of the yearbook is to raise awareness of quality among both media professionals and the public. The yearbook is intended to serve as a resource for media professionals, stakeholders in politics and business, academics, and anyone interested in exploring the development of the media and their content. The impetus for the yearbook stems from the realization that the quality of democracy depends on the quality of media-mediated communication. The yearbook aims to help ensure that media quality remains a key topic in public discourse.

The yearbook is published by the FÖG – Research Division for Public Life and Society / University of Zurich. The following authors contributed to the 2012 Yearbook (in alphabetical order): Urs Christen, Mark Eisenegger, Patrik Ettinger, Angelo Gisler, Lucie Hauser, Florent Heyworth, Kurt Imhof, Esther Kamber, Jens Lucht, Johannes Raabe, Mario Schranz, Peter Studer (guest author), Linards Udris, as well as Vinzenz Wyss with Michael Schanne and Annina Stoffel (guest authors).

Funding for the yearbook is provided by the nonprofit Public and Society Foundation submitted. The Foundation Board consists of: Christine Egerszegi-Obrist, Kurt Imhof, Yves Kugelmann, and Oswald Sigg.

Swiss Media Association on the Yearbook
 
The Swiss Media Association issued a press release regarding the «Quality of the Media» yearbook: As was the case last year, reading the summary report raises doubts about its objectivity and scientific integrity. «One conclusion is that media outlets can be divided into those of higher quality and those of lower quality; the former are for elites, the latter for the masses, and a similar divide exists between older and younger age groups,» the press release states. However, the report’s authors “failed to clarify” exactly what is meant by “quality.” At most, the reader can infer that news publications featuring hard news reach a smaller audience, while those with soft news have a broader reach. Furthermore, free newspapers and tabloid journalism appear to be equated with low quality.
 
The association notes the absence of a serious and transparent definition of the term «quality.» “The basis of any scientific work should be an unambiguous definition of the term being examined,” the association states. The new Yearbook on Media Quality apparently omits this, allowing every reader to interpret the term “quality” in their own way and find their own meaning within the scientifically cryptic text.