Press Council: Complaint against special zone satire rejected

Constantin Seibt from the Tagesanzeiger newspaper wrote a satirical article on May 15 about Obwalden's intention to rezone land in particularly attractive locations as building land in order to attract rich taxpayers. In the article, Seibt wondered whether this measure was enough. For the really rich, tax rebates, subsidies, privileges and attention of all kinds are a daily routine. "So what would be the best someone could give, dear Obwalden residents?" asked Seibt. To which he replied: "The best thing is of course ... your children! Fresh children's meat is the most tender thing to be found on this planet." And further: "What could better underline the unconditional sincerity of the people of Obwalden towards wealthy taxpayers than tender Obwalden children, served in their own milk? Or steamed, roasted or as suckling pig?"
In the eyes of the complainant, the text exceeded the extreme limit of tolerance: "With his contribution, Seibt hurt the feelings of an entire cantonal population," he wrote. "The content of his column is racist in tone, does not shy away from cannibalism and stimulates the lowest and most perverse fantasies. "

True core
The Press Council stated that exaggerations and distortions are not excluded in a satire. Only the facts on which the satire is based need to be correct. This was the case in this article. The canton of Obwalden had put an extremely valuable asset - a scenic location - up for discussion. The satirical exaggeration was also easily recognizable to the readership. The author had obviously taken his cue from the Irish satirist Jonathan Swift, who in 1729 had suggested using Irish babies as food and an export product to combat overpopulation.