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Crossing the Röstigraben

Breaching the divide between French and German speaking Switzerland.

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I have a wealth of experience as a journalist working in Switzerland and enjoy producing videos, articles and podcasts on a range of subjects, recently focused mainly on politics and the environment. Born in the UK, I studied law at Nottingham University, then went on to attend the first-ever post-graduate radio journalism college in London. After working as a radio journalist in the UK and then Switzerland from 1984 to 1995, I returned to the UK to complete a post-graduate diploma in film at Bournemouth Film School. I have been working as a video journalist ever since.

Switzerland is divided along language lines with the German speakers in the north and the French-speaking minority in the southwest. But when you step over the divide, the so-called Röstigraben, it’s not only the language that changes, as three exchange students from Winterthur discovered. (swissinfo, Julie Hunt 2007)

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR