Journalist not given access to Federal Council interview corrections
A television journalist has not been provided with any information regarding the corrections that former Federal Councilor Micheline Calmy-Rey made to the draft of a newspaper interview about the Libya affair. The Federal Administrative Court has dismissed his appeal.
A long interview with Federal Councillor Micheline Calmy-Rey appeared in the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper on June 19, 2010. She was asked about the affair surrounding the two Swiss nationals detained in Libya and the circumstances that ultimately led to their release. As agreed, the interview was sent to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) before publication so that corrections could be made. With a view to an appearance on the program "Arena", a journalist from Swiss television later demanded to see the corrections that had been made.
However, the FDFA refused to disclose this. It took the view that a final correction would make no sense at all if the changes ultimately had to be made accessible to the public. The Federal Administrative Court has now dismissed the television journalist's appeal.
According to the judges in Bern, only the authorized interview is considered a "completed official document", which must be disclosed in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. There was no violation of media freedom or freedom of information. The decision can still be appealed to the Federal Supreme Court. (SDA)
