Epiphany 2022: Supino predicts a decisive year for media policy
Publisher President Pietro Supino promoted the media package in his traditional address at the Epiphany meeting of the Publishers Association. He linked it to the role of the media in the pandemic.
"I think it's remarkable how we have learned to deal with the ongoing extraordinary situation," Supino said. The meeting of the Swiss Media Publishers Association VSM was again held virtually on Wednesday. On the same day, both a Yes and a No committee presented their arguments in Bern on the media law that will be voted on February 13.
Pietro Supino, who chairs both the VSM and TX Group, linked the bill to the media's role in the pandemic. "The most important contribution we can make as an industry is to reliably inform the public about facts and opinions," he said. In addition, he said, the media offer classification and orientation.
Independent journalism is a prerequisite for a free democratic community, which the state cannot create itself. But the state can contribute to a good framework - with the media package.
"A good compromise"
Supino also took up the arguments of opponents who fear that the media could become dependent on state subsidies. In the political process, he said, indirect press subsidies - i.e. discounts on the delivery of printed newspapers and magazines - had been supplemented by other elements. In the case of subsidies for online media, care was taken "to ensure that the editorial independence of the subsidized media is not impaired.
It has always been the VSM's stance, he said, to base online funding on revenue from the reader market. "This way, the audience decides who gets funded and thus editorial independence from the state is ensured." Overall, the media package is a "good compromise" that is of existential importance for the industry.
However, the package is limited to seven years. That is why it is important to introduce a performance protection right in Switzerland in the medium and long term. In the global market with powerful platforms, this right should ensure "that those who invest in journalism are protected and compensated.
Until the vote, the media package has "absolute priority" for the association, said Supino. After that, he said, the association would campaign for the ancillary copyright. "In terms of media policy, 2022 will be a decisive year." (SDA)
