As the Trudeau government considers extending the $600 million media bailout other countries such as Switzerland allowed the public to vote on supporting the media with tax dollars and they rejected it..In February of 2022, Swiss voters rejected a 150 million Swiss francs (approximately $230,000,000 CDN) media bailout fund, which would have provided funding to newspapers and TV and radio stations..Part of the money would have gone towards ensuring early morning delivery of newspapers and online news, which would have cost 70 million Swiss francs (approximately $107,000,000 CDN)..About 56% of voters rejected the media bailout plan..A petition started after the Swiss lawmakers passed the bill in June 2021 and received enough signatures to force a public vote..“Media groups are fighting to survive. Ad revenues for print press haven’t stopped declining or are getting swallowed up by giants like Facebook and Google, and subscriptions aren’t enough,” said the Swiss Green Party, which supported the media fund..In Switzerland, where there are about 8.5 million people, they have a different kind of democracy where citizens can directly vote on policies..Opponents against the plan argued spending taxpayers money on the media would be a waste of taxpayer dollars and mainly help big newspaper companies and the media moguls who own them. .Opponents were concerned this would make the media less independent because they would rely on government money and might be less likely to criticize politicians. .Also, opponents pointed out that this plan was unfair because free newspapers would not get any benefits from it..“A media subsidized by the state is a media under control. As the adage goes: ‘Don’t bite the hand that feeds you,’” said the opponents. .Opponents stated the large print-media companies made more than 300 million in profits in 2020, even during the COVID-19 pandemic..Many other European countries and around the world help newspapers by giving them discounts on postal fees, tax breaks, and other types of support..However, Canada is the most generous media assistance with the CBC funding and media bailout..Supporters of media funding argued that journalism, especially in areas where big media companies do not cover well, should be seen as a public service and funded by the Swiss government. .Supporters compared it to public radio and TV stations in Switzerland and across Europe, which also receive public funding to provide news to the public..In Switzerland, more than 70 newspapers have disappeared since 2003 and advertising income for all print publications dropped by 42% from 2016 to 2020.
As the Trudeau government considers extending the $600 million media bailout other countries such as Switzerland allowed the public to vote on supporting the media with tax dollars and they rejected it..In February of 2022, Swiss voters rejected a 150 million Swiss francs (approximately $230,000,000 CDN) media bailout fund, which would have provided funding to newspapers and TV and radio stations..Part of the money would have gone towards ensuring early morning delivery of newspapers and online news, which would have cost 70 million Swiss francs (approximately $107,000,000 CDN)..About 56% of voters rejected the media bailout plan..A petition started after the Swiss lawmakers passed the bill in June 2021 and received enough signatures to force a public vote..“Media groups are fighting to survive. Ad revenues for print press haven’t stopped declining or are getting swallowed up by giants like Facebook and Google, and subscriptions aren’t enough,” said the Swiss Green Party, which supported the media fund..In Switzerland, where there are about 8.5 million people, they have a different kind of democracy where citizens can directly vote on policies..Opponents against the plan argued spending taxpayers money on the media would be a waste of taxpayer dollars and mainly help big newspaper companies and the media moguls who own them. .Opponents were concerned this would make the media less independent because they would rely on government money and might be less likely to criticize politicians. .Also, opponents pointed out that this plan was unfair because free newspapers would not get any benefits from it..“A media subsidized by the state is a media under control. As the adage goes: ‘Don’t bite the hand that feeds you,’” said the opponents. .Opponents stated the large print-media companies made more than 300 million in profits in 2020, even during the COVID-19 pandemic..Many other European countries and around the world help newspapers by giving them discounts on postal fees, tax breaks, and other types of support..However, Canada is the most generous media assistance with the CBC funding and media bailout..Supporters of media funding argued that journalism, especially in areas where big media companies do not cover well, should be seen as a public service and funded by the Swiss government. .Supporters compared it to public radio and TV stations in Switzerland and across Europe, which also receive public funding to provide news to the public..In Switzerland, more than 70 newspapers have disappeared since 2003 and advertising income for all print publications dropped by 42% from 2016 to 2020.
