Veit Dengler criticizes Markus Somm
NZZ CEO Veit Dengler has criticized the remarks made by BaZ Editor-in-Chief Markus Somm, who had spoken out in favor of editorial consideration for advertisers. Michael Ringier considers the discussion to be «nothing new,» while Roger Köppel supports Somm.
Markus Somm has set off an avalanche. In the Radio 1 program "Roger vs. Follow-up of "Roger against Roger" - has Somm in favor of the SVP strategy of punishing the offending media with ad boycotts (Werbewoche.ch reported), showed a lot of understanding. His credo was that anyone who helped to finance the editorial team did not have to be taken to task by it. Somm, however, expressed himself in a somewhat more differentiated manner than he was subsequently accused of in some of the public discussions, which reached as far as Germany. The BaZ editor-in-chief explicitly said that the editorial team should also report critically on advertisers. However, he showed understanding for the fact that advertisers turn away when the editorial section one-sidedly and systematically relativizes - "stupidly belittles" - the content of paid advertisements.
After this position was supported by publisher president Lebrument, Dengler is the first representative of a major publisher to oppose Somm. This is reported by Schweiz am Sonntag in its current issue. Journalistic independence is the most valuable asset of a newspaper, according to Dengler. If an attitude like Somm's were to gain majority support, this would have dramatically negative consequences for democracy.
However, Dengler also sees something positive in Somm's comments: they have - intentionally or unintentionally - triggered a debate about the value of journalistic independence. This debate should be conducted within the Swiss Media Association, whose statutes call for the protection of entrepreneurial and journalistic independence.
Ringier: "It's always been like that".
In an interview with Schweiz am Sonntag, publisher Michael Ringier also comments on the discussion. He said that Somm and Lebrument's comments strengthened his conviction that it was "high time to leave". The statements are nothing new after all; there has always been tension between editorial staff and advertisers, Ringier said. "Sometimes we made mistakes, then we corrected them. Sometimes you forbid yourself attempts to influence and no longer receive ads. That's always been the case." The Blick newspaper would continue to criticize the Swisscom CEO's salary - despite Admeira - as long as the criticism was justified. Unjustified criticism means, for example, if the salary is compared with that of a federal councilor, because the Swisscom CEO can earn more money everywhere.
Incidentally, Somm - unsurprisingly - received backing from his Radio 1 talk predecessor, Weltwoche publisher and SVP National Councilor Roger Köppel in the "Arena" program on the revision of the asylum law. Somm was "absolutely right" - it could not be that one regularly read "in the editorial section the denial of the advertising section". (hae)
Köppel in the "Arena" on the subject:
