Press Council exonerates Le Temps
If a person's money and profession play a decisive role in the understanding of a matter of public interest, the mention of that person's name is also of public interest, the Press Council ruled in the case of a complaint against Le Temps for naming a person.
Elka Gouzer, who works in the real estate sector in Geneva, owns an exclusive chalet in Verbier. She strongly opposed a ski lift project of the municipality of Bagnes and the Téléverbier company. In an article about this appeal pending before the Federal Court, the newspaper Le Temps drew a portrait of the "multimillionaire", mentioning her name.
Elka Gouzer complained to the Press Council in the opinion that the disclosure of her identity was not of predominant public interest and violated her privacy. The Press Council states that the name of the opponent of the ski lift is crucial for understanding the dispute, because Elka Gouzer plays an important role in society. Moreover, media had already mentioned her name in another context. On this point, the Press Council therefore rejects the complaint.
Gouzer also accused Le Temps of writing untruthfully that she was the "only" opponent of the project. In fact, however, another appeal was pending with the Federal Office of Transport. Le Temps admitted that it had not been up to date on the second appeal. Although this error is minor in relation to the main issue, it nevertheless constitutes an error in research, the Press Council states.
