Name relevant functions of columnists
Is it sufficient for well-known columnists to mention the author’s social roles only once—when introducing a column? The Press Council recommends stating the role(s) each time, even if this is not necessary in every case.
The naming of the function is mandatory if it is relevant for the understanding of the specific text, as the Press Council writes in a statement on Tuesday.
The Switzerland-Israel Society complained that National Councilor Daniel Vischer had commented on the Middle East conflict several times in his column in the Basler Zeitung without disclosing his function as president of the Switzerland-Palestine Society. The Press Council now comes to the conclusion that the naming of the function is mandatory because it is not generally known and relevant for the understanding of the objectionable text.
However, it cannot be deduced from this that editorial offices are obligated to spend a disproportionate amount of time and effort researching possible overlaps between the topic of a column and a function of the author for every external text. In the present case, however, the Switzerland-Israel Society had repeatedly pointed out Vischer's function as president of the Switzerland-Palestine Society to the Basler Zeitung in the run-up to the publication of the offending column.
Teaser image: Daniel-vischer.ch
