Non-partisan committee founded against No Billag initiative
Just like the Federal Council, the non-partisan "No to No Billag" committee also rejects the "radical initiative" and intends to campaign against it with all its might, as stated in its announcement on Friday.
160 national politicians from the CVP, BDP, EVP, glp, Grüne, LDP, SP and SVP parties are involved in the non-partisan committee "No to No Billag". The breadth of the committee shows that party affiliation plays no role in this vote, according to the press release. Rather, it is about who cares about Switzerland and media coverage in the Swiss national languages. The committee lists four main arguments against the initiative:
Attack on Swiss media diversity
Around 60 radio and television stations throughout Switzerland are (co-)financed with the fee money. They report daily on important regional and national topics in all regions and in all national languages. Fees are used to finance a Swiss view of the world. Without fees, less independence, less Switzerland, warns the committee.
Attack on the public service
Based on the performance mandate, fee recipients currently provide the whole of Switzerland with a diverse audiovisual offering. The radical initiative wants to remove the performance mandate from the constitution. This is a direct attack on an independent and autonomous Swiss media landscape and regional reporting, warns the committee. According to the opponents, the free formation of opinion, objective reporting and the representation of diversity of opinion would no longer be guaranteed if the initiative is accepted.
Closing date for minorities
If the fees were abolished, solidarity would disappear from the Swiss media system, the committee is convinced. Broadcasts in peripheral regions, for the sensory impaired or about fringe sports could not be financed commercially and would be eliminated without replacement if the initiative were adopted, it continues.
Attack on direct democracy
The radical No Billag initiative is "an attack on our independent media and direct democracy", according to the statement. A functioning democracy is dependent on informed citizens. With the total commercialization of the media landscape and the planned auctioning of concessions, financially strong investors would gain more power to push through their own interests, warns "No to No Billag". The Swiss media must not be allowed to become the "mouthpiece of wealthy interest groups" and be misused for political propaganda, as has long been the case in Italy and the USA, for example.
