She comes from a communications background and can put the skills she learned in this job to good use: Zurich's health director Natalie Rickli. Originally she had done the KV, then worked in various media companies, most recently she was a freelance communications consultant. This helped her in her political career as a member of the National Council of the SVP and, since 2019, as a member of the government and Health Director of the Canton of Zurich.
How did she experience the Corona period as health director? How good was her directorate's communications work? Did she hire crisis communicators? What does she say about the wrangling between the federal government and the cantons? How is the relationship with her party, which she also contradicted at times during the Corona period? And how well is Switzerland prepared for a possible new Corona wave in the fall? Is a new booster vaccination coming this fall?
The ComSumCast is the replacement for the Communication Summit of the ZPRG (Zurich PR Society) and the ZPV (Zurich Press Association). Due to the pandemic, the annual event at ETH Zurich is cancelled. A new episode of the Comsumcast is published every month. Journalist and presenter Reto Lipp talks to pioneering minds from the world of media and communication. The basic topic is the pandemic and its impact on the communications industry.
The ComSumCast is also available on Spotify and with Apple Podcasts to listen to. It is produced by Tablecast.
The decision to return to the discussion show was made after a discussion between SVP President Marco Chiesa (TI), parliamentary group leader Thomas Aeschi (ZG) and SVP National Councilor Thomas Matter (ZH) with SRF Director Nathalie Wappler, Editor-in-Chief Video, Tristan Brenn, and Editor-in-Chief Audio, Lis Borner, SRF announced.
The SVP wrote in a statement of a "constructive discussion". Regarding the "Arena" participation, the party said it demanded from SRG management that the broadcaster ensure "appropriate, balanced and neutral" moderation. The party reminded Wappler of a principle it announced when it took office in 2019, to make a program that informs but does not polarize and renounces opinion journalism.
Wappler welcomed the party's return to the discussion panel and stressed that SRF "remains committed to factual reporting, but also to political independence". With the Audience Council, the Ombudsman's Office and the independent complaints authority UBI, there were official control bodies that assessed the factual accuracy of reports. These bodies had given SRF "a good overall report card".
After an "Arena" broadcast around three weeks ago, the SVP announced that it would no longer take part in the discussion round "until further notice". According to its own statements, the party was reacting to a "gross derailment" by the moderator Sandro Brotz. He had acted as a judge towards Aeschi.
Among other things, the SVP demanded a debate with SRG's top management. The following three broadcasts then took place without an SVP representative. (SDA)
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In the past few days, numerous people in Switzerland had received this mailing. The contents of the envelope were exclusively a sheet of paper with the logo of the Yes campaign for the limitation initiative. The letter had been dispatched by the German post office. The personally addressed letter was also addressed to people who had been deceased for years.
The SVP Switzerland and the campaign management of the limitation initiative dissociated themselves "in all form from this letter," the party wrote. The SVP Switzerland assumes that it is "an action by political opponents with the intention of damaging the limitation initiative. (SDA)
CH Media angered
CH Media was already angry about Pro Kultura's actions when the political advertising trick became known. At the time the spot was booked, CH Media justified itself by saying that the media group had not been aware of any connection with the initiative. And via Nau.ch, it directed specific accusations in the direction of the SVP: "The client obviously deceived CH Media about the authorship of the spot with the intention of circumventing the ban on advertising for topics that are the subject of popular votes," a spokesperson said. (hae/SDA)
Among other things, the spot was broadcast in a commercial break on August 18 on TeleZüri (screenshot TeleZüri via Nau.ch).
Bakom will clarify the matter in detail, as a spokeswoman confirmed several media reports on Wednesday. After that, it will be decided whether a supervisory procedure will be initiated. Excerpts of the video were shown, among others, in the advertising windows of TeleZüri and TeleBärn, which belong to CH Media.
If Bakom detects a violation of the law, it can order measures to remedy the damage or prevent a recurrence. It can confiscate profits or even withdraw the license. Two measures at the same time are also possible, the Bakom spokeswoman said.
The violation has made public the news portal Nau.ch on August 20. The trick that the spot could be "smuggled" into the regional TV advertising windows: The sender is not the SVP, as in the original film, but an association called Pro Kultura. Behind it is Olivier Imfeld, vice president of the SVP Lucerne. Imfeld tells Nau.ch that the message of the first part about landscape and culture impressed him. He therefore asked video initiator and SVP National Councillor Thomas Matter whether he could use the excerpt for a television advertisement on behalf of ProKultura, Imfeld explains further. After Matter's okay, TeleZüri, TeleBärn, 3plus or 4plus then also broadcast the spot.
How the SonntagsZeitung the controversial election poster has disappeared from public spaces. The motif shows an apple being eaten by worms symbolizing the opposing parties and the EU. When it was launched, it not only caused outrage in the opposing camp, but also provoked criticism from within the party itself (Werbewoche.ch reported). The provocation worked: the Wurm poster was responsible for the fact that the SVP once again received the most media attention in this election year (Werbewoche.ch reported).
Originally planned as the main subject
In August, SVP election manager Adrian Amstutz announced that the apple poster was the main subject of this year's election campaign. The fact that it has now disappeared shortly before the election date could also be due to a lack of support within the party's own ranks. Several cantonal sections - including Thurgau and Lucerne - decided to do without the motif. In the canton of Schaffhausen, a list connection with the FDP even collapsed due to the poster.
Negative campaign was not planned
It now appears that the negative campaign was not planned at all, but was launched abruptly, writes the SonntagsZeitung. The SVP decided a year ago to focus on positive messages.
President Albert Rösti also confirms this - but adds that they "had to counter at short notice". The apple poster was therefore a reaction to the other parties postponing the decisions on the framework agreement with automatic adoption of EU law and on the cohesion billion until after the elections, as well as to the media's silence on these issues. This could not simply be accepted, Rösti told the SonntagsZeitung.
According to Rösti, the campaign was planned for three weeks from the outset. "We wanted to shake things up with the poster, including our own people." It was never the intention to let the cantonal sections use the poster for their regional election campaigns.
The two young politicians are responsible for a drawing that was posted on Facebook before the March 2018 cantonal elections. It made sentiment against transit places for foreign travellers. The illustration showed a Swiss man in alpine dairyman's costume holding his nose in front of a pile of garbage in a trailer park. "We say no to transit sites for foreign gypsies," the poster read.
The Association Sinti and Roma Switzerland filed a complaint for violation of the racism penal norm. The Bernese single judge also saw a case of racial discrimination and sentenced the two young politicians to fines of 30 daily rates each. Fiechter and Spahr can appeal the verdict. (SDA)
A ten-metre high Trojan horse on the station square in Bern symbolized "the insidious attack on democracy and human rights", the agency wrote in a press release. In addition to hundreds of onlookers, the spectacle also attracted media attention.
Not least because of the satirical video, which was launched online at the same time and gives a deep insight into the Trojan horse. In it, SVP National Councillors Andreas Glarner and Roger Köppel hatch a devious plan against Swiss democracy.
On the campaign website Sneaky.ch you can find information about the initiative, explanatory videos and further data for the Trojan horse's city tour. The campaign is accompanied by a broadly orchestrated social media presence.
Responsible at the Alliance of Civil Society: Andrea Huber (Initiator & Managing Director), Susanne Rudolf (Campaign Coordinator). Responsible at Spina's Civil Voices: Lorenz Spinas (overall responsibility), Miriam Fischer (concept/implementation), Cédric Wermuth (political consulting), Meike Sprankel (online/consulting), Veera Juvonen (online), Alexander Meier Productions (film production).
This time, therefore, the campaign is not about white sheep kicking a black man, or minarets mutating into rockets, or posters of knifemen. At first glance, the campaign appears rather harmless. A pensive looking young woman raises a yes in the air. In addition in orange the statement "yes to direct democracy - yes to self-determination". There is not much left to remind us of the SVP, as we have perceived it up to now in terms of communication.
Thomas Matter, head of the campaign, tells the newspaper that the message is deliberately kept simple because the question of self-determination is also quite simple. Anyone who answers yes to the first can only agree with the initiative. "That is why there is no need for an aggressive campaign as in previous cases. We want a factual referendum campaign," the Zurich national councilor told the SonntagsBlick.
Alexander Segert, who was responsible for the polarizing subjects of the past, was no longer involved in the new campaign. Instead, the communications scepter is said to have been taken into the hands of the Bernese agency Komet, as SonntagsBlick knows. (hae/SDA)
The SVP considers the entire bill to be unnecessary and intends to submit a motion to parliament to reject it, as National Councillor Gregor Rutz (ZH) told the Keystone-SDA news agency. According to the constitution, the Federal Council does not have the authority to directly promote individual media. The trade association is of the same opinion.
Diversity on the Internet
The Federal Council states that, according to the Constitution, the Confederation is responsible for legislation on radio, television and "other forms of public telecommunications broadcasting". This also allows for new technological developments and therefore also online media.
Rutz also believes it is "completely wrong to subsidize the Internet". Diversity exists on the Internet and the web is booming, he said. In fact, the Federal Council's approach would lead to nationalization. In future, the most successful company will be the one that collects the most subsidies.
Although the FDP believes that the law fulfills some of its demands, it calls the promotion of online media unnecessary. This market functions without state intervention, it states. Financial support from the federal government is therefore not justified.
Kritics of separating text
The SP, on the other hand, considers the direct promotion of online media to be appropriate. However, it is annoyed that the Federal Council wants to promote audio and video. This artificial separation is an unnecessary concession to large publishers and private media companies. It also does not correspond to the reality of media work.
"Basically the right direction," says Graubünden CVP National Councillor Martin Candinas about the draft. The separation between text on the one hand and audio and video on the other is necessary so that funds from the media levy do not endanger local and national newspapers.
In view of the coexistence of private and fee-financed digital offerings, the Swiss Media Association insists on a legal regulation that is "as clear-cut as possible". Free portals financed by fees could make it more difficult for private broadcasters to develop digital offerings financed by subscriptions. "The willingness of users to pay still needs to be established."
The willingness of users to pay still has to be built up.
Funds for news agencies controversial
Opinions are also divided on money from the media levy for non-profit news agencies. The FDP believes that private organizations operate in the free market and should not receive any money. The SP, on the other hand, insists on this support. Candinas, on the other hand, is in favor of creating a legal basis for this funding option, even if it remains to be seen what will happen.
The Swiss Media Association calls the Keystone-SDA news agency an important partner for editorial offices. A funding contribution is intended to ensure a high-quality text and image offering that is affordable for all media houses.
Although the Syndicom and SSM trade unions consider the thrust of the proposed legislation to be correct, they are calling for direct support for journalistic services. In their view, media funding should focus on quality and diversity, regardless of the distribution channel. The focus should be on working conditions.
"The cake is just being redistributed"
The journalists' association Impressum welcomes the funding opportunity for online media, but also notes that the draft law would not be able to compensate for the resources lost due to the loss of advertising revenue. The cake will not get any bigger, it will just be redistributed.
Like the SP, Impressum is bothered by the separation of text on the one hand and audio and video on the other. If text were excluded from funding, this would lead to the forms being selected according to funding criteria and not according to journalistic criteria.
The SRG has not yet commented in detail on the draft, but has stated that it recognizes in principle the intention to adapt the legislation for new forms of broadcasting. The Swiss Private Radio Association welcomes the fact that the proposed law is intended to lay down rules for all forms of broadcasting. (SDA)
This is because the SVP is the only party that strictly and unanimously rejects future state support for the news agency.
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) last week announced the three members of the "Federal Conciliation Board for the Settlement of Collective Labor Disputes." In a letter to the parties to the dispute obtained by Switzerland at the weekend, the three names are mentioned: Alexander Frei of the Basel Employers' Association represents the employer side, and Irene Darwich of the Syna union represents the employee side. Marc Häusler is the chairman of the three-member panel.
According to Häusler, however, the concerns of the SDA staff are unnecessary. His party affiliation plays no role in the performance of his duties as government governor, he tells Schweiz am Wochenende. "And I promise that it will not do so in this dispute resolution process either." Häusler is used to mediating conflicts: as government governor, he forms the hinge between the Bernese government, the municipalities and their residents, explains the 41-year-old. However, he has never mediated in the media sector. According to Häusler, this is an opportunity because he is unbiased and can ask questions "that may seem innocent, but will force the conflicting parties to think and question their own position.
However, the composition of the panel is not yet definitive, because the conflicting parties can raise objections against the composition until next Friday. (hae)
The evening before, the SVP party executive committee had already voted in favor of the initiative with 23 votes in favor, 3 against and one abstention. At the delegates' meeting on Saturday, all of the party's major figures expressed this position.
Weltwoche editor-in-chief and Zurich SVP national councilor Roger Köppel was at the forefront of criticism of SRG. "Billag fees are poison for the Swiss media landscape," Köppel told delegates. Because it is dependent on the state, the SRG also thinks like the state, the Zurich national councilor noted. Today, it is possible to cover the need for information with private press products and electronic media in all national languages without any problems.
"Intimate cuddly closeness" and a Nazi comparison
Roger Köppel called on delegates to rid themselves of the "oversized, overpaid, overestimated and outlived state SRG."
Federal Berne and the SRG are far too close, Köppel said. The latter has "developed an intimate, cuddly closeness to the Federal Council, the federal administration and the politicians who coddle them," the Weltwoche publisher said on Saturday. In doing so, Köppel compared the role of public broadcasting in Switzerland to that of the media in dictatorial states: "Authoritarian-ruled countries in particular insisted on the supremacy of the state in the broadcasting sector," he is quoted as saying in SonntagsBlick. He thinks of the "Volksempfänger of propaganda minister Goebbels in Nazi Germany". (SDA/hae)
Only a few votes against
Before the afternoon vote, Geneva SVP National Councilor Céline Amaudruz recommended that the 259 delegates save themselves the 450 franc fee. The SP would then have to finance its propaganda itself in the future, said Amaudruz, and received applause for this.
There were only a few dissenting voices. A Lucerne delegate from the Suhrental reminded of the minorities and peripheral regions. Even as a supporter of popular culture, he had to say no to the No Billag initiative, the delegate held. A delegate from Vaud also drew attention to the fact that the SVP electorate in rural regions appreciated what SRG had to offer. Most speakers, however, recommended the initiative for acceptance, such as the president of the Zurich SVP and member of the National Council, Mauro Tuena.
This was not altered by the comments of Olivier Français, member of the Council of States for the FDP in Vaud. He had taken the opposing position before the delegates' meeting and reminded them that there was no plan B for SRG and that the initiative would also abolish the independent complaints office.
It would not be the regional radio and television stations that would profit from an acceptance, but the foreign television stations. However, ARD would not broadcast a Schwingfest, said Olivier Français. However, the delegates followed the party executive and backed the initiative.
In the final vote, the popular initiative was clearly accepted with 239 yes against 17 no with 5 abstentions. The SVP sections of the cantons of Zurich, Bern, Aargau, Neuchâtel and Vaud had already voted in favor before the delegates' meeting.
The advertisement portrayed Kosovars as an ethnic group in such a way that they were more violent than other foreigners and therefore had no right to stay in Switzerland. This is how the average reader would have understood the advertisement, according to the majority of the criminal law division of the Federal Supreme Court.
The advertisement thus created a mood against this ethnic group. The advertisement should be considered as a whole. Therefore, the complainants' objection that the advertisement had taken up an individual case that had actually occurred did not apply. The decision was along party lines - the two SVP judges were defeated by the three other judges.
In March 2016, the Bern High Court found Baltisser and Bär guilty of racial discrimination for publishing the advertisement as part of the 2011 campaign for the mass immigration initiative. They were sentenced in accordance with paragraph 1 (incitement to hatred or discrimination) to conditional fines of 45 daily rates of CHF 300 and CHF 220 respectively. The High Court held that the advertisement was a generalization. It could not be understood in any other way than that all Kosovars were slashers. An entire ethnic group was being disparaged and the claim violated human dignity. The SVP cadre could therefore not invoke freedom of expression.
The defense lawyers of the two SVP cadres argued in court that the poster depicted a specific case - namely an attack on a Swiss wrestler in Interlaken. Baltisser and Bär applied to the Federal Supreme Court for an acquittal.
A botched start
The public prosecutor's office in Bern found it difficult to investigate the advertisement. It discontinued the proceedings twice. However, the High Court overturned the corresponding decisions and sent the case back for further investigation. Two Kosovars had filed a complaint as private plaintiffs against the public prosecutor's decisions to discontinue the case. It was not until December that the latter finally brought charges against Baltisser and Bär. The criminal prosecution authorities in Bern had already been forced by the Federal Criminal Court to conduct the investigation. Prior to this, the Bernese and Zurich judiciaries had assigned responsibility to each other.
Caution with publishing houses
The advertisement was published on the SVP website on August 19, 2011. The advertisement also appeared in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung and the St. Galler Tagblatt on August 25 of the same year. Various publishing houses refused to publish the advertisement because they considered it to be racist. Those responsible for the advertisement agreed to change the headline to "Kosovar slashes Swiss". The advertisement was not objected to in this form.
The French ("Des Kosovars poignardent un Suisse!") and Italian versions of the headline ("Dei Kosovari pugnalano uno Svizzero!") did not lead to any legal repercussions either. The act of violence, which was the motive for the advertisement, resulted in a conviction. The man from Kosovo, who dangerously injured a Swiss man with a knife in August 2011, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for attempted intentional homicide. (SDA)