Swiss Press: Favorable conditions demanded for private media providers

The Swiss Publishers Association calls on politicians to create favorable framework conditions for private media providers in Switzerland. This should ensure that they can continue to offer high-quality and diverse media products in the future. The press, in particular, makes a central contribution to the formation of political opinion, which is endangered by the current economic situation and the changed market situation, as the association writes in a press release on Tuesday.
At its annual closed-door meeting, the Executive Board of Schweizer Presse addressed the issues of a suitable market order for the Swiss media landscape. Direct subsidies - such as direct press subsidies - were clearly rejected, as this would affect the independence of the media. As part of a media policy manifesto, seven specific demands were made. These include:

Exemption from value added tax for media products

Tax deductibility for subscriptions to newspapers and magazines

Extension of the existing sales promotion for reduced postal rates

Preservation of advertising freedom for private providers

Restricting SRG's online activities and maintaining the online advertising ban for SRG stations

No competition from public-sector publishing activities

Up-to-date protection of copyrights for journalistic content and publishing products, especially in the online area