Swiss Press Council reprimands Blick for reporting errors

The Swiss Press Council has issued reprimands against the media outlet Blick for several violations of journalistic ethics.

In one instance, the Council upheld complaints regarding an online article about Syrian school curricula. The report incorrectly misrepresented a CNN source concerning the definition of the term ‘martyr’ in Syrian textbooks. While the source described a shift in definition, Blick’s reporting inaccurately framed it as an explicit instruction for students to die ‘for Allah,’ which the Council ruled violated the duties of truthfulness and the prohibition of distorting facts.

Additionally, the Council upheld complaints regarding Blick’s coverage of a local conflict involving a garage owner, a neighboring couple, and the municipality of Sargans. The Council found that the reporting presented the dispute primarily from the perspective of the garage owner while providing minimal or inaccurate information regarding the other parties. The Council also noted that journalistic rules regarding moderation and accuracy apply to comments on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.