In the USA, the debate has long been underway to break the dominance of these corporations and to break them up. Platforms such as Facebook, Google and Twitter have now become a threat to democracies because they only supply their consumers with content that confirms their worldview. And because they knowingly spread fake news, as this can also be monetized very well.
The Swiss media funding debate has avoided this europe rcs data elephant in the room. debate about whether online journalism should also be supported.
The result is ultimately a major contradiction: Swiss media accept subsidies from the state so that they can remain the fourth estate in the state.
If media funding is always associated with a loss of independence, this much-vaunted package contains a fundamental conceptual flaw:
Despite all efforts and assurances, subsidies are never market-neutral. This will be particularly the case here, as a medium can only benefit from the subsidy if it meets certain criteria dictated by the state.
There is a huge contradiction here too: the state wants to protect the free media landscape, but sets guidelines on how it should function.