Not only in Switzerland, but also in neighboring countries and in England, public broadcasters are being targeted by politicians. Observations from our correspondents.
The Swiss radio and television company SRG is trying with all its tricks to fend off the attack by the SVP halving initiative on March 8th. Most recently, for example, with the long-taboo concession of naming criminals by their nationality in SRF reporting. However, the fact that public broadcasting is coming under pressure, particularly from the political right, is not a typically Swiss phenomenon.
License-financed broadcasters across Europe are exposed to attacks aimed at limiting or reversing their influence on opinion-forming. As a rule, there is a general accusation that the broadcasters do not report “objectively” and promote “left-wing” ideas. The following overview, compiled by CH Media’s foreign correspondents, shows the country-specific background to this ongoing conflict.