The Swiss Press Council is in demand as never before
Last year, the Swiss Press Council issued more decisions than ever before. The body published 83 opinions in the course of the year. In view of the extra work, the Press Council's human and financial resources are running short.
In 2018, the Press Council had drafted and published 62 opinions. The number of settled cases - including merged or withdrawn cases and decisions to dismiss without an opinion - reached an all-time high of 125 in 2019, the Press Council announced in a communiqué on Friday.
The need to turn to the Press Council with complaints is great, according to the data. 126 complaints were filed with the Press Council in 2019. In the previous year, there were 115 and in 2017 127. In that year, there was a jump upwards, executive director Ursina Wey told the Keystone-SDA news agency.
One reason for the increase is that the Press Council has become better known to the general public. According to Wey, other factors for the increase cannot be clearly identified. What is clear to her, however, is that the increase cannot be managed with the resources that the Press Council has at its disposal today.
Hoping for indirect media funding
At the end of 2019, the Press Council's Board of Trustees therefore adopted reforms to speed up procedures. The body also wants to be able to play a greater role in debates on media and professional ethics. Among other things, the office is to be slightly increased, as the Press Council announced in December.
To get the money it needs, the foundation is hoping for funds from the indirect media subsidy from the federal government. Here, parliament has the final say. But more money from this source can be expected in 2022 or 2023 at the earliest, Wey said.
The Press Council is the self-regulatory body of the media industry in Switzerland. Currently, the Swiss Press Council Foundation is supported by journalistic professional associations and trade unions, employer organizations and individual media companies. (SDA)
