Content and Services Charter of SRG

Preamble

The public audience and our commitment to striving for national cohesion are at the heart of everything we do. We fulfil our mission as assigned to us under the Swiss Federal Constitution, the law and the SRG SSR Charter. We base the work that we do, whether on the radio, on the television or on digital media, on common standards which reflect the values of public service. The Content and Services Charter sets out our ethical and qualitative framework. It applies to all content and is binding for all SRG SSR employees, even where contracts are awarded to third parties. RSI, RTR, RTS, SRF and SWI supplement the Content and Services Charter with their own practical work policies.

Our services aim to reach everyone in Switzerland, and Swiss nationals abroad – regardless of gender, age, origin, religion, sexual orientation, disabilities or lifestyle choice. We promote dialogue with the population and representatives from civil society, politics, culture, business and sport.

We ensure that both our content and our archived material are published via channels deemed to be suitable for our various target groups. We edit and prepare our content in such a way as to ensure that it can be accessed and understood by everyone. In doing so, we consider the needs of individuals with a sensory impairment.

We depict Switzerland’s cultural, social, geographical and political diversity. Our content covers a broad range, including all genres and formats, and where possible provides a platform for all opinions and realities. It is based on the central pillars of information, culture, entertainment and sport. We also play our part in contributing to education and knowledge. We are responsive to differing needs and give a diverse range of groups within the population the chance to have their say – embracing all ages, genders, educational levels, socio-economic backgrounds and cultural origins. We pay particular attention to minorities, young people, people from migrant backgrounds and people with a sensory impairment. It is important to us to ensure a balanced representation of men and women. Our services differ from commercial services. We use content produced in-house.

Thanks to our regional roots, we offer an insight into areas of common ground, and specific regional characteristics. We facilitate understanding between the different parts of the country, regions, cultures and communities, and we strengthen cohesion. Our inter-regional collaboration supports the exchange of content and national projects. We also support a lively exchange with Swiss people abroad and the inclusion of our fellow citizens who hail from other parts of the world

We are conscious of the possible effects of our content on the public audience. We deliberately align our content and the way we present it in accordance with our aim of depicting reality factually, impartially and with a balanced approach. We are aware of our ethical and legal obligations and fulfil them.

As part of the work that we do, we are open with everyone and always ensure that we demonstrate personal integrity – where necessary, we may have to be critical but we are always respectful. We protect privacy, except where public welfare takes precedence, and we abide by applicable rules of professional conduct. We protect vulnerable people appropriately and pay particular attention to children. We refrain from any prejudice and stereotyping and use unbiased and gender-inclusive language.

We make journalistic decisions free from the influence of political groups, businesses and other stakeholders. We do not yield to pressure. We make decisions independently of personal interests and inclinations. We do not accept bribes.

We choose our own approaches to issues and decide for ourselves what topics we will cover, rather than allowing ourselves to be led.

It is important to us to ensure that, in the overall flow of information, our content is credible. We research, check, categorise and assess information. Where necessary, we comment on it and correct it. Establishing the facts is more important than acting quickly and simply publishing content to meet demands.

We publish information only from reliable sources or check it carefully before sharing it.

Creativity is the driving force behind what we do. We promote the digital transformation and foster innovation.

We encourage a willingness to take risks and we learn from experience. We constantly question ourselves, adopt new narrative styles and actively seize the opportunities provided by technical developments. We take the user behaviour of younger generations into account. We do not hesitate to put our trust in our young talented individuals and give them responsibility.

We undertake to manage the business sustainably and minimise any negative effects of our work on the environment. We use our budget responsibly and efficiently by deploying innovative production methods.

We strive to ensure that there is a strong link between the Switzerland of yesterday and the Switzerland of tomorrow by depicting the Switzerland of today and its continual transformation process.

We strive to establish all the facts deemed relevant for an issue to be understood. We do not carry out any biased manipulative sensationalist journalism. Our journalism is impartial and we provide an open platform for informed debate. We disclose our intentions, ensuring complete clarity.

We identify any comments. We reject all forms of manipulation and distortion of the truth using images, audio and text. We correct any incorrect information immediately and appropriately.

The topics we cover should provide answers to universal questions. The relevance of a topic is determined in particular based on how current it is and how important it is for politics, business, culture and society.

Geographical proximity, emotional closeness and cultural proximity to the public audience are also important factors.

In der Flut von Informationen legen wir Wert auf die Glaubwürdigkeit und Relevanz unseres Angebots. Wir verbreiten nur Informationen aus verlässlichen Quellen. Wir sind bestrebt, die Aktualität unter Berücksichtigung aller massgeblichen Aspekte und Ansichten abzubilden. Wir zeigen die Welt, die Menschen und ihr Handeln in allen Ausprägungen – den guten wie den schlechten, den anerkannten wie den unangenehmen, kontroversen, provokativen oder schockierenden. Wir sind uns möglicher Wirkungen unserer Angebote auf das Publikum bewusst.

Wo wir Position beziehen, gründet dies auf unserer fachlichen Beurteilung und den Werten der Aufklärung. Kommentare machen wir erkennbar. Wir lehnen jede Form von Manipulation oder Verzerrung der Wahrheit mit Hilfe von Bild, Ton und Text ab. Falsche Informationen berichtigen wir umgehend und gut wahrnehmbar im Medium, in dem sie verbreitet wurden.

Diskussionsforen auf unseren Webseiten oder in sozialen Medien moderieren wir. Wir veröffentlichen nur die Voten von Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmern, die sich überprüfbar mit vollem Namen zu erkennen geben.

Wir schaffen Transparenz über die Art und Weise, wie wir arbeiten, was wir wollen, wie wir vorgehen, was wir leisten können und was nicht. Dies gilt erst recht bei der Berichterstattung über Tätigkeiten und Interessen unseres Unternehmens.

Kreativität ist eine Triebfeder unseres Handelns. Im digitalen Umbruch fördern wir Innovation und Experimentiergeist. Wir bauen auf Offenheit.