Bernese government fears impoverishment of the media landscape
The Bernese government council regrets that the Bund and Berner Zeitung are to have a joint editorial office in the future. In the medium term, reporting on local and regional topics in the two newspaper titles threatens to become impoverished.
In the canton of Berne will occur what is already the case in large regions such as Basel, Lucerne and St. Gallen: A single editorial office will deal with local issues without looking at the competition. This writes the government council in its response published on Wednesday to a question from Grand Councilor Natalie Imboden (Greens).
According to the government council, it is in contact with the management of the TX Group, the parent company of Tamedia. He has repeatedly pointed out the importance of two competing local and regional editorial offices. A next meeting is planned for May, he said.
It is undisputed that the media play an important role in democracy as the fourth estate. But in the final analysis, the company management is responsible for deciding how to finance and staff its newspaper editorial offices.
Status of the Information Act
Grand Councilor Imboden also wanted to know what the roadmap for the revision of the Bernese Information Act looks like. The state chancellery will submit the bill to the government council at the end of March or in April 2021 for consultation release, writes the government.
The Grand Council had initiated the revision of the law at the end of 2019. At the time, it spoke out in favor of indirect media funding and asked for consideration of measures that take into account the "great importance of independent, diverse quality journalism for the functioning of the democratic state." (SDA)
