WOZ narrowly escapes a reprimand by the Press Council
The weekly newspaper reported accurately on the deportation of a refugee family in Zug. This is the conclusion reached by the Swiss Press Council, which had to address a complaint filed by the Canton of Zug’s Department of Security regarding this matter.
On October 27, 2016, WOZ criticized the circumstances surrounding the deportation of a family of six from Afghanistan under the headline "An expulsion by any means necessary". The Zug authorities had placed three of the four children outside the home and detained the father and mother with the baby in order to secure the deportation.
The security directorate of the canton of Zug filed a complaint against WOZ with the Swiss Press Council. It criticized above all the headline "Breaches of the law in the canton of Zug" and claimed that it should have been heard on the allegations.
The Press Council does not share this view. It sees no violation of the duty to tell the truth in the headline. It does concede that this headline is highly pointed. However, it was followed by the title "Deportation by all means", which indicates that the article is about the means by which deportation is enforced. Immediately afterwards, the lead specifies that the accusation of breaking the law is made by politicians and human rights activists. The reader thus learns in the entirety of the title and lead who is accusing which authorities of breaking the law.
For the Press Council, the accusation of breaking the law is undoubtedly a serious accusation that makes a hearing absolutely necessary. However, if authorities refuse to take a stand, they cannot claim afterwards that they should have been heard on a certain aspect. The Press Council therefore rejects the complaint, it announced on Thursday.
