Having a say: rights and obligations · Parties, associations and media
Newspapers and editorial teams
Topic
In Switzerland there is freedom of the media. It is in the Federal Constitution, and censorship is prohibited. The state may not decide what appears in a newspaper, on the radio or on television. Free media are important for democracy. For example, they inform people about popular votes and they keep a check on those in power.
The editorial team decides what appears in a newspaper. The editorial team is the group of journalists at a newspaper. There is no media police and no state office that chooses the articles. But journalists must obey the laws, for example on the protection of privacy.
There are daily newspapers and weekly newspapers. Daily newspapers appear almost every day, for example the Tages-Anzeiger, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) or Blick. Weekly newspapers appear only once a week. One example is the SonntagsZeitung: it appears every Sunday, so once a week.
Memory aid: The name gives it away: the «Sonntags» (Sunday) Zeitung only comes out on Sunday, so once a week.
Key terms
- Redaktion
- Editorial team: the team at a newspaper that decides which articles appear.
- Medienfreiheit
- Freedom of the media: newspapers, radio and television may report freely, without censorship by the state.
- Wochenzeitung
- Weekly newspaper: a newspaper that appears once a week.
Exam questions on this topic
- Who decides which articles are published in the newspaper?Correct answer: A, the newspaper's editorial team
- Which is a Swiss weekly newspaper (published once a week)?Correct answer: D, Sonntagszeitung