Private television: 35 complaints in 2013
Last year, the ombudsman offices for private Swiss radio and television broadcasters received 35 complaints. The complaints were directed exclusively at TV programs from German-speaking Switzerland—most frequently those from Tele M1 and Tele Züri.
In the majority of cases, the complainants felt that the principle of fairness had been violated. Other complaints concerned, among other things, a threat to public safety, the protection of minors, respect for human dignity or the glorification of violence. This was announced by the Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and Television (UBI) on Monday. The ombudsman's offices of the private radio and television broadcasters in the French and Italian language regions did not register a single complaint. However, this is not necessarily a good sign for the UBI: According to the communiqué, one reason for the lack of complaints could be insufficient knowledge about the possibility of lodging a complaint. The ombudsman's offices have the task of mediating between the parties involved in complaints about radio and television broadcasts. Only after the proceedings before the ombudsman's office have been concluded can a complaint be lodged with the UBI. However, this was never the case last year. (SDA)
Image: Keystone
