Mon, 16 Oct 2000

German_Scn_News <german_scn_news@hotmail.com>

Press Council

Rights and Duties

Zurich, Switzerland
October 14, 2000
Der Bund
http://www.bund.ch/Publications/DER_BUND/2000/241/BME/53410PRN.HTML

sda. Media are not obligated to report on all individual candidates in elections. And it is permissible for a journalist to point out existing dangers, from his perspective, in regard to a controversial organization. The Swiss Press Council came to these decisions. In the first case, at the end of May, an individual candidate in the campaign for the Zurich Constitutional Council complained about the "Neue Zuercher Zeitung" (NZZ), which deliberately limited its coverage to the parties already in the Cantonal assembly. The press council found that the NZZ had informed its public of the political spectrum, from left to right, relevant to the Constitutional Council. In the second case, the "Aktion Dialog" association complained about two reports which appeared in January 2000 in the "Tages-Anzeiger" about Swiss Scientology's approach to taxes and about the computer software of a Scientology-aligned, American EDP firm. The two articles were alleged to be part of a campaign of disparagement against the Scientology Church. The Swiss Press Council dismissed these complaints in the main. A journalist cannot be charged for pointing out the dangers of such organizations when he acts as "legal representative" of potential or actual "sect victims."

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