Press Council rejects complaint against Tages-Anzeiger
The Tages-Anzeiger did not violate journalistic guidelines with its coverage of alleged mistreatment in a Thurgau monastery. The Press Council has rejected a complaint against a series of articles from last year.
From June to September 2012, the Tages-Anzeiger reported on serious allegations against a priest of the Fischingen monastery in five articles. A former student stated that he had been repeatedly beaten and sexually abused by the priest. An anonymous complainant felt that the reporting violated several points of the "Declaration of the Duties and Rights of Journalists." Among other things, he accused the newspaper of disseminating unconfirmed information without regard to the presumption of innocence.
It is true that the tone of the offending articles is sometimes accusatory and one-sided, writes the Press Council in its response. Nevertheless, it is clear to the reader that the facts of the case are disputed and that the accused has not been convicted. In addition, the accusation of abuse in a children's home is in the public interest.
Privacy violated
The Press Council rejected another complaint, at least in part. The weekly magazine L'Illustré in French-speaking Switzerland had been accused by the Vaud lawyers' association of having violated the presumption of innocence in its reporting on the arrest of a suspected pedophile. In addition, the magazine had disregarded the privacy of the accused. L'Illustré actually went too far with the publication of a passport photo as well as other details of the accused, as the Press Council notes. However, the panel did not see the presumption of innocence violated. (SDA)
