Press Council reprimands Sonntag for altering a quote
The Press Council has partially upheld a complaint against Sonntag. It complained that the newspaper had inappropriately exaggerated a quote from a UBS press spokesperson on the resignation of then UBS Chairman Marcel Ospel. The altered quote gave the readership the incorrect impression that Ospel's resignation had been confirmed after a year at the latest.
The Press Council has partially upheld a complaint against Sonntag. It complained that the newspaper had inappropriately exaggerated a quote from a UBS press spokesperson on the resignation of then UBS Chairman Marcel Ospel. The altered quote gave the readership the incorrect impression that Ospel's resignation had been confirmed after a year at the latest.
At the end of February, Sonntag reported that Ospel would resign after a year at the latest. The author referred to a statement by a UBS spokesperson. In reality, however, it was an evasive non-statement, writes the Press Council in a statement on Friday.
The UBS spokesman wrote that Ospel had "declared his willingness to be re-elected for another year. He has no plans beyond that". While the newspaper reproduced the quote unchanged in the business section and in the online version, it changed this sentence on the front page to: "He definitely has no plans for the time after that".
Sonntag argued that everything in the article had since come true and that the quote from its spokesperson had been reproduced in the same sense. In addition, Ospel's resignation had been confirmed by another UBS source prior to publication.
For the Press Council, however, it is not decisive whether Ospel actually resigned or not. The situation as it presented itself to Sonntag at the time of publication is decisive for the professional ethics assessment. In addition, the newspaper should have named the other UBS source mentioned in the article.
At the end of February, Sonntag reported that Ospel would resign after a year at the latest. The author referred to a statement by a UBS spokesperson. In reality, however, it was an evasive non-statement, writes the Press Council in a statement on Friday.
The UBS spokesman wrote that Ospel had "declared his willingness to be re-elected for another year. He has no plans beyond that". While the newspaper reproduced the quote unchanged in the business section and in the online version, it changed this sentence on the front page to: "He definitely has no plans for the time after that".
Sonntag argued that everything in the article had since come true and that the quote from its spokesperson had been reproduced in the same sense. In addition, Ospel's resignation had been confirmed by another UBS source prior to publication.
For the Press Council, however, it is not decisive whether Ospel actually resigned or not. The situation as it presented itself to Sonntag at the time of publication is decisive for the professional ethics assessment. In addition, the newspaper should have named the other UBS source mentioned in the article.
