OSCE Media Freedom Representative concludes official visit to Switzerland

On 9 November 2021, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro concluded her two-day official visit to Switzerland. During her visit, Ribeiro met with several government authorities, including Federal Councilor Simonetta Sommaruga, State Secretary Livia Leu, OFCOM Director Bernard Maissen and the President of the Swiss Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Josef Dittli. She also met with representatives of media freedom organizations and media representatives to discuss media freedom and freedom of expression in Switzerland and across the OSCE region.

These representatives addressed several issues with Ribeiro, including the overall increasing polarization in society contributing to anti-media sentiments and increasing media concentration in Switzerland since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ribeiro also discussed with the authorities challenges and opportunities of digitalization and digital transition, and their close interlinkage with traditional media’s economic viability, the safety of journalists, and the urgent need for platform governance in terms of how the platforms’ business practices affect freedom of expression and media pluralism.

In the margins of the visit, Ribeiro and Ambassador Simon Geissbühler, Head of Peace and Human Rights Division at the Swiss Foreign Ministry, signed a new funding agreement for the OSCE Freedom of the Media project “Safety of Female Journalists Online” (SOFJO), which will substantially contribute to the Representative’s work to promote media pluralism in the OSCE region.