Zurich cantonal government does not want cantonal media funding
The Zurich Cantonal Government has once again spoken out against direct, cantonal media funding. The canton already supports the industry indirectly by promoting the training of journalists.
The government rejects direct media funding by the canton because this could jeopardize the independence of the media, writes the government council in an answer to an SP question published on Thursday.
The request was triggered by the recent job cuts at the publishing house Tamedia, which belongs to the TX Group. The SP then wanted to know what the cantonal government was doing to support quality journalism.
"Difficult economic situation"
In its response, however, the Government Council acknowledges the difficult economic situation of various media companies. It therefore considers the measures for indirect media promotion proposed at federal level to be correct and effective.
This mainly concerns support for training and further education institutions as well as funding for the Keystone-SDA news agency. This funding would be provided via the radio and television levy.
The cantonal government also points out that the canton of Zurich and its universities are already making a significant contribution to journalistic quality. This applies in particular to the Institute for Applied Media Sciences at the ZHAW in Winterthur. (SDA)
