In partnership with Europe’s public service media, SWI swissinfo.ch offers “A European Perspective”

EBU

SWI swissinfo.ch, the international service of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, has become part of a much larger European newsroom. From July 1, we’ve begun providing readers with a curated selection of stories from our European public service media partners.

More than a year in the making, “A European Perspective” showcases the content of participating newsrooms, including SWI swissinfo.ch, as well as the online sites of public broadcasters in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Ireland, and Finland.

The stories appear in a dedicated feed on the SWI swissinfo.ch homepage. When the feed was introduced on July 1, our editors presented a report from Spain on a new euthanasia law in that country, which complements SWI swissinfo.ch coverage on liberal assisted suicide laws in Switzerland.

Reports from Ireland and Belgium reflected responses to the pandemic in certain sectors. From In the case of Ireland, RTE looked at how comedians survived the past year by building online fanbases, and from Belgium, RTBF explored how “coworking spaces are back in business”.

In exchange, SWI swissinfo.ch’s series of reports on freedom of expression found new audiences on Spain’s RTVE website, and an interview with a biologist at the first BioHub facility of the World Health Organization – located in Switzerland, was picked up by Franceinfo.

“The service makes it possible to explore global issues such as migration, Covid-19 or even climate change from different European perspectives. You can read what concerns people in Europe,” says Larissa M. Bieler, SWI swissinfo.ch Director and Editor in Chief.

The participating public service media have agreed on the following editorial principles when sharing content: “The stories affect multiple countries, societies, or identity groups, or have a wider resonance. They should embrace diversity and inclusion when possible, promoting voices from across Europe’s social landscape, including those of vulnerable or marginalised groups. The content should also inform, examine, and explain the impact of actions by European governments and institutions on the lives of citizens.”

“As Switzerland’s international service, SWI swissinfo.ch is excited to be part of this initiative to offer audiences diverse European perspectives on issues that affect everyone. We are delighted that we are offering readers stories from our European partners, and that the stories we produce at SWI swissinfo.ch are being presented to broader European audiences thanks to those same partners,” says Dale Bechtel, Executive Editor for Format Development.

“We will now be able to fully leverage the power and scale of our vast international network, where public service media have the same values and news ethics” explains Eric Scherer, Director of Innovation and International Affairs at France TV, “where public service media have the same values and news ethics. This is a crucial step for our newsrooms.”

“A European Perspective” has been facilitated and managed by the European Broadcasting Union, using a bespoke digital news hub with AI technology to assist in the translation of the reports into multiple languages.
The project is funded until the end of February, 2022 through a grant from the European Commission’s Multimedia Actions programme. It is co-funded by the EBU.

Participating Public Service Media
Switzerland (SWI swissinfo.ch), Belgium (RTBF), Finland (YLE), France (France Télévisions), Germany (BR/ARD), Ireland (RTÉ), Italy (RAI), Portugal (RTP), Spain (RTVE) and as well as ARTE, the Franco-German broadcaster

Contact 
Larissa M. Bieler, Direktor and Editor in Chief, SWI swissinfo.ch, [e-mail],  
[phone] 

Dale Bechtel, member Editorial Board and Executive Editor, Format Development, [e-mail], [phone]