Lebrument at the Epiphany Conference: A slap in the face for the state
At the Swiss Press Association’s Epiphany Conference, Hanspeter Lebrument, president of the publishers’ association, once again lashed out. This time, it was *Der Bund*’s turn. Lebrument believes that freedom of the press in Switzerland is under threat from the state.
At the Epiphany Conference of the Swiss Press Association, publisher president Hanspeter Lebrument once again lashed out. This time it was the Confederation's turn. Lebrument believes that freedom of the press in Switzerland is under threat from the state. The economic crisis, criticism of the media and conflicts between publishers are the breeding ground for state intervention, he said on Tuesday in Zurich's World Trade Center.
Three examples illustrated this trend. The early delivery of newspapers is once again firmly in the hands of the state. The major publishers had sold their majority shareholding to Swiss Post. Such a strong signal of re-nationalization has rarely been observed. However, state influence has also increased in the central media sector. Numerous publishing houses were eagerly awaiting October 31, 2008. On this day, the Leuenberger department awarded the radio and TV licenses. The private sector could only operate this business today with a great deal of regulation, good monitoring and control.
State media monitoring center?
As if that were not enough, the state has also expressed its resentment about important content in the media. For example, Zurich professor Kurt Imhof, supported by Federal Councillors Leuthard and Merz, sharply criticized the media in the Schmid/Nef affair and called for a media monitoring office. However, the Swiss press had done a good job in the Schmid/Nef affair in particular, said Lebrument. The danger that neutral media monitoring could lead to restrictive state measures could not be dismissed out of hand.
Lebrument described the economic outlook for publishers in gloomy colors. Since last autumn, a strong storm has been sweeping through the industry - with a slump in sales, a lack of advertising, staff cuts and unpromising budgets for 2009. In this context, Lebrument criticized the business editorial offices. They had stood idly by and watched the economy drift on. This had contributed to the crisis. The business press had not sufficiently fulfilled its role as watchdog.
(Pictures: Keystone)
Three examples illustrated this trend. The early delivery of newspapers is once again firmly in the hands of the state. The major publishers had sold their majority shareholding to Swiss Post. Such a strong signal of re-nationalization has rarely been observed. However, state influence has also increased in the central media sector. Numerous publishing houses were eagerly awaiting October 31, 2008. On this day, the Leuenberger department awarded the radio and TV licenses. The private sector could only operate this business today with a great deal of regulation, good monitoring and control.
State media monitoring center?
As if that were not enough, the state has also expressed its resentment about important content in the media. For example, Zurich professor Kurt Imhof, supported by Federal Councillors Leuthard and Merz, sharply criticized the media in the Schmid/Nef affair and called for a media monitoring office. However, the Swiss press had done a good job in the Schmid/Nef affair in particular, said Lebrument. The danger that neutral media monitoring could lead to restrictive state measures could not be dismissed out of hand.
Lebrument described the economic outlook for publishers in gloomy colors. Since last autumn, a strong storm has been sweeping through the industry - with a slump in sales, a lack of advertising, staff cuts and unpromising budgets for 2009. In this context, Lebrument criticized the business editorial offices. They had stood idly by and watched the economy drift on. This had contributed to the crisis. The business press had not sufficiently fulfilled its role as watchdog.
(Pictures: Keystone)
