Regional newspapers will receive more financial aid from the Confederation. The increase in indirect support decided by the Federal Parliament in March was fought by a referendum committee. But the opponents will not be able to collect enough signatures by the end of the period, fixed for Thursday, July 10.
According to Leroy Bächtold, president of the referendum committee, the time has failed to bring together the 50,000 paraphs: “We had to start collecting the signatures during the referendum period, because we learned too late that the law had been adopted by the Parliament. We were then of an opinion that it was so important that we had to try, even if the referendum of 100 days had already started”, said Morning.
“In addition, we had to note that political parties were very busy by many other subjects. I am thinking in particular of the agreements with the European Union, which are currently very present in the political landscape. This is why the support of the parties was less important than hoped,” added the founder of the Liberal Team Freiheit (“freedom”), which mainly brings together young UDC and PLRs.
The “Freedom” committee criticized the fact that Parliament wanted to develop support for press products despite the non -people’s non -the media aid train in February 2022. “Hundreds of millions of francs”, according to him, would be invested in “an outdated model”.
The payment of the new annual aid of 35 million will begin in 2026. Regional media will have a discount for the distribution of newspapers. It is added to an already existing envelope.
The local press, where the advertisements of layoffs follow one another, would have liked to benefit from this support earlier. But the people refused a media assistance project in 2022.
>> Read on this press aid: Parliament approaches additional support of 35 million to the regional press
Support synonymous with jobs
The new boost is “capital”, says Cédric Jotterand, the editor -in -chief and owner of Morges newspaper. “For a newspaper like mine, the postal bill is 450,000 francs. [Avec le rabais]it is planed by about half. 250,000 francs represent two workstations, “he explains.
For small editors, this aid is significant. The Journal de Morges, for example, has only five journalists.
But the help of the Confederation is not intended to last forever. She will stop after seven years. During this period, the regional written press is supposed to seek and find a new viable economic model.
Radio subject: Philéas Authier
Adaptation web: Antoine Michel