Press Council: Frank A. Meyer should have presented facts correctly
The Federal Commission against Racism complained about a column in Sonntagsblick. The columnist Frank A. Meyer insinuated that the Commission considers the headscarf to be a religious requirement for all Muslim women. The Press Council upheld the complaint, arguing that the underlying facts had to be correct, especially in the case of harsh comments.
In a Sonntagsblick column, Frank A. Meyer alleged that the Federal Commission against Racism (FCR) had written in a media release that the headscarf was "a binding religious requirement for women. The EKR complained that Sonntagsblick had quoted it in an abbreviated form. Rather, the commission had pointed out that the headscarf ban was "a binding religious commandment for the women concerned."
The Press Council upholds the complaint. According to the Swiss press watchdog, it was not the abridgement of the quote taken from a report in the NZZ that was problematic, but the distorted reproduction of the commission's position. Sonntagsblick may well sharply criticize the position of the FCR and accuse it of giving disproportionate weight to religious freedom over the individual freedom of women. However, Frank A. Meyer should have correctly presented the facts underlying his harsh criticism. Contrary to the impression given by his column, the FCR in no way claims in its statement that the headscarf is obligatory for all Muslim women.
