Maudet fights for right of reply

The article in question, entitled "Maudet's critic must remain silent". was about a journalist on sick leave from RTS radio in western Switzerland who had been researching the Council of State's trip to Abu Dhabi. According to the article, Maudet had "trouble with the critical curiosity" of the journalist and intervened with the editor-in-chief of RTS .

After the publication of the report, the FDP politician asked the Tages-Anzeiger for a counterstatement. The newspaper, refused, on the grounds that the form proposed by Maudet was not suitable for the paper. Because there was no agreement, the civil justice system of the canton of Geneva is now dealing with the case.
 

According to Kevin Guillet, the lawyer for the newspaper's journalist, the controversial article is not primarily about Maudet, but more generally about the pressures journalists face in their work. In his view, there is no reason why the Geneva State Councilor should feel personally affected.

From Maudet's point of view, things look quite different. According to his lawyer Laurent Fischer, the facts presented in the article cast his client in an unfavorable light. He accuses Tamedia of "dirty malice." "Pierre Maudet wants to be treated like any other person," the lawyer added.

The Tages-Anzeiger refuses "to offer Pierre Maudet a platform to settle his accounts with the French-language press". The Council of State had requested that he be able to write his rebuttal in French, Guillet said.

The Tages-Anzeiger was willing to publish an interview with Pierre Maudet or to give a place to the letters to the editor. The State Council had also been given the opportunity to clarify the contested article, but only if it had also given the RTS journalist the opportunity to comment.

Now the Geneva Court of First Instance must decide. A verdict is expected in the next few weeks. (SDA)