Swiss court overturns ruling against broadcaster over Gaza protest coverage
Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court has overturned an earlier ruling by the country’s independent media complaints authority that had found the German-language Swiss public broadcaster at fault over its coverage of pro-Gaza university protests.
The Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and Television issued its decision in December 2024, accusing the broadcaster of providing one-sided coverage of university protests held across Switzerland that year in solidarity with Gaza.
The authority said that the coverage had downplayed certain incidents surrounding the protests and had failed to give sufficient attention to what it described as manifestations of antisemitism.
However, the Federal Supreme Court cleared the broadcaster of those accusations, explaining that a violation of the “principle of diversity” can only be legally established when there is a systematic and deliberate omission of essential aspects of an issue.
Following a comprehensive review, the court found that the German-language Swiss broadcaster SRF had addressed allegations of antisemitism through various programs and editorial formats and concluded that its coverage complied with applicable legal standards.
The case began after an individual filed a complaint against the broadcaster, prompting its parent organization, SRG, to appeal the subsequent ruling.
In its final judgment, the court upheld SRG’s appeal and overturned the previous decision against the broadcaster. SRG also operates Swissinfo as part of its media network.