Newspapers report negatively on Ecopop
*Die Schweiz am Sonntag* presents a study by the University of Zurich that examines how daily and Sunday newspapers cover the current referendum proposals.
The media in German-speaking Switzerland have reported a clear rejection of the Ecopop initiative, writes Schweiz am Sonntag. This is shown by an interim evaluation of the voting monitor of the Research Institute for the Public Sphere and Society (Fög) at the University of Zurich. The evaluation includes editorial articles on the referendum proposals of November 30 from subscription newspapers (Aargauer Zeitung, Berner Zeitung, NZZ, Tages-Anzeiger), tabloid and free newspapers (20 Minuten, Blick, Blick am Abend) and Sunday newspapers (NZZ am Sonntag, Sonntagszeitung, Schweiz am Sonntag).
With 57% of contributions, Ecopop received far more attention than the other initiatives combined. The abolition of lump-sum taxation accounted for 24% of contributions, while the Gold Initiative received 19%.at the Fög. A negative tone towards the initiative can be found in 54% of the contributions. A positive tone was discernible in 9 percent of the contributions, while 37 percent were controversial.
The rejection of the Ecopop initiative was evident in all ten press titles examined. It is expressed not only in the fact that the media themselves speak out against the proposal, but also in the fact that the majority of those who were given a platform in the media rejected the proposal. The spectrum of negative voices is broad. Around 25 percent of the statements were in favor, 55 percent were against and 20 percent were ambivalent. (sis/SaS)
