Raphaela Birrer becomes Editor-in-Chief of the Tages-Anzeiger
The Tages-Anzeiger is getting a new editor-in-chief: Raphaela Birrer will take over as head of the newly consolidated news desk at Tamedia starting March 6. Arthur Rutishauser will focus on the Sonntagszeitung going forward. There are also other changes in the editorial leadership.
The Tamedia editorial team's national cover sections will go to press in the new Tages-Anzeiger-editorial team, as Tamedia announced on Wednesday. The structures are to be simplified and responsibilities sharpened. The Tages-Anzeiger is to be strengthened as a leading national brand.
Birrer most recently headed the central domestic department. Thanks to her experience at Newsnet, she has a strong understanding of digital journalism, Tamedia CEO Andreas Schaffner is quoted as saying in the release. She stands for the digital future of the Tages-Anzeiger.
Further personnel changes
The new organization is associated with a number of other personnel changes. Raphaela Birrer's deputy will be Adrian Zurbriggen. Matthias Chapman and Kerstin Hasse are also part of the new editorial team.
Arthur Rutishauser, who previously headed the editorial department of Tamedia and the Sunday newspaper in personnel union, will in future concentrate on the further development of the Sunday newspaper. There can be no question of a downgrade, writes a media spokesman in response to a query from the Keystone-SDA news agency. Rutishauser remains editor-in-chief.
New tasks for previous employees
The previous co-chief editor of the Tages-Anzeiger is being given new tasks: Mario Stäuble becomes head of domestic operations, Priska Amstutz is earmarked for a new project "of high strategic importance", according to the press release.
Michael Marti and Iwan Städler, who have been members of the editorial board up to now, will both become authors, as the media spokesman announced upon request. The reorganization has nothing to do with the "Roshani case". The organization presented on Wednesday is part of a process initiated some time ago, the statement continues.
The former Magazine-editor Anuschka Roshani had in a guest article in the German magazine The mirror made serious accusations of bullying against her former supervisor Finn Canonica, accusing him of sexism. Tamedia had admitted negligence after the allegations came to light earlier this month. The investigation of the case had taken too long.
No change in the local
The local department of the Tages-Anzeiger remains part of the Zurich newspaper group of Tamedia, which also includes the Country Messenger, the Zürcher Unterländer and the Zurichsee-Zeitung belong to. Benjamin Geiger continues to be in charge.
The Tamedia media company employs around 1400 people in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland. Tamedia is a company of the TX Group. (SDA)
