According to the UBI, the EDU may not be described as a far-right party
Published: Friday, Mar 22nd 2024, 22:40
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In an online report, Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) inadmissibly referred to the Federal Democratic Union (EDU) as a "far-right party". This was the conclusion reached by the Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and Television UBI on Friday.
It approved a corresponding complaint by six votes to one. The description in the article "These are the chances of success of the critics of the measures" from October 10, 2023 was misleading, the UBI announced after its public consultation in Bern. Due to the applicable increased duty of care before the federal elections, this constituted a violation of the principle of fairness. The SRF editorial team corrected the inaccurate information on October 18, 2023.
In contrast, another complaint against SRF's coverage of the 2023 National Council elections was rejected. It had been complained that the EDU had been disadvantaged by being excluded from various broadcasts and in particular disadvantaged in comparison to the Evangelical People's Party (EPP).
However, the appeal court held that absolute equal treatment of all parties was not required under case law in order to comply with the diversity requirement under broadcasting law. However, deviations from the principle of equal treatment must be based on clear criteria. The majority of the Commission members found that this was the case due to the higher voter share of the EPP compared to the EDU in the elections.
The UBI is an extra-parliamentary federal commission. Its decisions can be appealed to the Federal Supreme Court once the written reasons have been submitted.
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