Swiss Federal Supreme Court clears SRF over Gaza protest coverage

The Swiss Federal Supreme Court has overturned a previous decision regarding the broadcasting coverage of university protests related to the Gaza war. The court ruled that the reporting by Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) between February 14 and May 14, 2024, did not violate the principle of diversity in broadcasting.

Previously, the Independent Complaint Body for Radio and Television (UBI) had partially upheld a complaint, suggesting that SRF's coverage was one-sided and trivializing, specifically noting a failure to sufficiently address antisemitic tendencies during the demonstrations.

However, the Federal Supreme Court rejected these findings, stating that a violation of the diversity principle only occurs if specific opinions or relevant aspects of a topic are systematically excluded from programming. Upon review, the court found that SRF had addressed allegations of antisemitism and problematic slogans across various formats, concluding that the reporting style, word choice, and imagery were not unlawful.