State should provide greater support for private media
In light of the changes in the media landscape, the government should provide more financial support to the media. This is the recommendation of the Foundation for the Assessment of Technology Impacts (TA-Swiss). It does not consider a ban on advertising for the SRG to be off-limits.
Independent media make an important contribution to opinion-forming and are indispensable for a democracy, according to the study presented on Monday on behalf of TA-Swiss. As important as journalism is for democracy, media companies are increasingly running into financial difficulties. The study authors doubt that companies will be able to provide sufficient resources for independent journalism in the future. To secure these conditions, they say, an "infrastructure program for journalism" is needed.
"Inactive waiting is likely to lead to further cost-cutting measures and concentration processes," the authors write. But the media are more than just an economic commodity. Accordingly, media policy should not be justified solely on economic grounds. The goal should be to maintain a media system that does justice to Swiss democracy.
Direct promotion
The study proposes a change in the current subsidy system: Instead of relying on inefficient indirect press funding, private newspapers, online media, and radio and TV stations would have to be supported directly by the state. The authors see funding instruments like those in Scandinavian countries, which function remotely from the state and without influence on editorial decisions, as a model. In addition, companies with alternative ownership models should also receive indirect support from the state. For example, tax breaks or tax-exempt donations could be considered. The study authors have in mind start-ups or companies in which foundations or employees are co-owners.
SRG advertising ban justifiable
In the case of the public service media, SRG should continue to be financed through license fees. In order to reach the young, the SRG must be allowed to build up a video and audio offering online without restrictions, according to the study. If the political initiatives to abolish or halve radio and TV license fees fail, the authors of the study believe that it would also be acceptable to do without advertising and sponsorship - especially since this would also be in line with the non-commercial basic idea of the public service.
Dialog with media users
According to the study, however, the media industry and citizens also have a role to play. The media companies must be transparent and editorially independent. An ethical code should guarantee that journalistic and commercial interests are not mixed. This could sustainably strengthen trust in the industry and increase its credibility, the authors write.
In addition, media would also have to enter into dialog with the audience more often. Newer forms of journalism would allow greater interaction via social media and comment functions.
In general, the authors do not find it problematic if the media do not base their reporting solely on the concerns of the population. Topics that are burning under people's nails are certainly taken up. What is missing, however, is the classification of complex social issues.
Federal government involved in study
The study was prepared by a project group of researchers from the universities of Fribourg, Lausanne and Zurich. The Federal Office of Communications (Bakom) contributed to the financing of the study. The TA-Swiss Foundation is a competence center of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences. (SDA)
