No indirect Corona press subsidies for Swiss illustrated magazines
Under the COVID-19 Ordinance on Print Media, the magazine *Schweizer Illustrierte* will not receive any federal subsidy toward the costs of delivery by the Swiss Post. This was decided by the Federal Administrative Court.
According to the Covid 19 ordinance, which is no longer valid, only daily and weekly magazines that provide current news, cover a wide range of topics and are aimed at a broad audience receive this indirect press subsidy. This was stated by the Federal Administrative Court in a ruling published on Wednesday.
The regulation was intended to give state protection to those media that contributed to the democratic political discussion among the population. The focus of the Swiss Illustratedn the view of the Federal Administrative Court, however, is not to convey current information, but to entertain. This was shown by the analysis of the content.
Incorrect justification
The Federal Administrative Court has rejected the appeal of Ringier Axel Springer Schweiz - publisher of the Swiss Illustratedn - against the prior decision of the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) was therefore rejected.
In its ruling, Bakom also came to the conclusion that no indirect press subsidies were to be provided. However, it incorrectly justified the decision by stating that the Swiss Illustrated belonged to "extended special press".
Ringier submitted its application for indirect press funding in July 2020. The Illustrated is published weekly with a circulation of over 127,000 copies and has an average readership of just over 490,000. (SDA)
