Swiss publishers demand more power and less state
Swiss publishers want to regain control of their titles. They feel "sandwiched" between journalists, who single-handedly determine the quality of a newspaper, and the state, which restricts advertising. In her speech at the Publishers' Congress, Federal Councillor Widmer-Schlumpf called for the quality of Swiss journalism to be kept high.
Swiss publishers want to regain control of their titles. They feel "sandwiched" between journalists, who single-handedly determine the quality of a newspaper, and the state, which restricts advertising.
"We have gone too far with journalistic independence", railed publisher president Hanspeter Lebrument in Montreux on Friday. The "Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Journalists" contained "some adventurous things" that did not benefit the subscribed newspapers.
Lebrument once again criticized state interventionism in the advertising market. Freedom of the press lies "in independence from the state". "We must prevent advertising censorship - which restricts, sometimes makes impossible, sometimes prohibits - from spreading step by step." Lebrument is in favor of associations that advocate freedom of advertising.
In a speech, Federal Councillor Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf also addressed the assembled Swiss publishers and shared with them her first experiences with the media in Bern. At a point de Presse in front of her office, the media representatives came very close to her - "an estimated 20 centimetres". The relationship between the media and politics does not have to be quite so close, Widmer-Schlumpf said according to the speech text.
"An arm's length - the image that describes the distance of healthy business relationships in the economy - is also appropriate between politics and the media." She went on to reflect on her role as part of the regulatory authority and that of publishers as companies.
She called for the quality of Swiss journalism to be kept high. The state would assume its responsibility to support the media in maintaining this. This has been done by adapting copyright law. "I call on you to continue to focus on or return to proven quality features and journalistic principles in the face of tough competition," concluded Widmer-Schlumpf.
"We have gone too far with journalistic independence", railed publisher president Hanspeter Lebrument in Montreux on Friday. The "Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Journalists" contained "some adventurous things" that did not benefit the subscribed newspapers.
Lebrument once again criticized state interventionism in the advertising market. Freedom of the press lies "in independence from the state". "We must prevent advertising censorship - which restricts, sometimes makes impossible, sometimes prohibits - from spreading step by step." Lebrument is in favor of associations that advocate freedom of advertising.
In a speech, Federal Councillor Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf also addressed the assembled Swiss publishers and shared with them her first experiences with the media in Bern. At a point de Presse in front of her office, the media representatives came very close to her - "an estimated 20 centimetres". The relationship between the media and politics does not have to be quite so close, Widmer-Schlumpf said according to the speech text.
"An arm's length - the image that describes the distance of healthy business relationships in the economy - is also appropriate between politics and the media." She went on to reflect on her role as part of the regulatory authority and that of publishers as companies.
She called for the quality of Swiss journalism to be kept high. The state would assume its responsibility to support the media in maintaining this. This has been done by adapting copyright law. "I call on you to continue to focus on or return to proven quality features and journalistic principles in the face of tough competition," concluded Widmer-Schlumpf.
