Swiss press free but struggling to survive, report finds
Despite funding troubles, Switzerland stays in the top 10 nations for press freedom, while the global situation continues to be problematic, according to Reporters without Borders (RSF).
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/dos
Although Switzerland dropped from 6th to 8th in the 2020 ranking, this was not due to a worse score, but rather to gains made by Jamaica and Costa Rica, the NGO reported on TuesdayExternal link.
Overall, as per last year, the Alpine nation remains part of a group of 14 countries in the “white zone”, where press freedom is completely guaranteed. The top four spots are all occupied by the Scandinavian countries; at the other end of the list come Eritrea, Turkmenistan, and North Korea.
Nevertheless, economic troubles continue to dog Swiss media, and RSF remains critical of the “accelerating concentration” of newspapers within fewer big publishing houses; this reduces diversity of voices, particularly regionally, and can hamper the process of opinion-forming necessary in a (direct) democracy, it says.
It also criticised the decision by the Swiss government not to grant emergency funding to Swiss media hit by the current coronavirus crisis. Though the question of support will be discussed by parliament at a later stage, media groups are suffering under plummeting advertising revenue during the current crisis, RSF says.
Some newspapers in the country have slimmed print offerings since the crisis hit, while others have put staff and journalists on short-term unemployment.
Globally, RSF notes a similar picture to last year, writing that press freedom is suffering in many countries under governments that either suppress information, undermine trust in the press, or imprison journalists.
The report does not measure the journalistic quality of media, but rather its level of freedom. The methodology is available online hereExternal link.
Swiss centre records over 200 victims of human trafficking
This content was published on
Last year 317 people took part in a protection programme run by the Specialist Unit for Trafficking in Women and Women’s Migration (FIZ) in German-speaking Switzerland.
This content was published on
The Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and partners are opening a field hospital in southern Gaza on Tuesday.
Lack of smartphone sustainability in Switzerland hits environment
This content was published on
Almost half of all Swiss citizens hang on to their old smartphones, tablets and laptops, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
Police clear out pro-Palestinian students protesting in Geneva
This content was published on
The police intervened early on Tuesday to dislodge pro-Palestinian students who had been occupying the University of Geneva for almost a week.
New gel developed in Zurich renders alcohol harmless
This content was published on
A newly developed gel composed of whey proteins breaks down alcohol in the body and could reduce its harmful and intoxicating effects in humans.
Pro-Palestine protests extend to Basel and Fribourg universities
This content was published on
Demonstrators called for an academic boycott of all Israeli institutions and disassociation with Chaim Weizmann, the first Israeli president.
This content was published on
In many cases, China's use of AI undermines the national security of the US and its allies, according to a US government representative.
Swiss Hells Angels trial alleges rape and money laundering
This content was published on
An allegedly high-ranking member of the Hells Angels is accused of money laundering totalling millions and rape, among other serious crimes.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Government ‘should do more’ for press freedom
This content was published on
The Swiss government should get “more clearly and actively” involved in press freedom issues, four Swiss journalism organisations have said.
Swiss public broadcaster bucks downward media trend
This content was published on
The overall quality of journalism is dropping in multilingual Switzerland, where newsrooms are shrinking, according to a comprehensive study.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.