The survival of the regional written press is threatened, believes Le Courrier. For the Geneva daily, it is urgent to act and find support solutions in order to preserve plural information and prevent the formation of a journalistic desert.
“We decided to take the initiative, because history is stuttering,” Philippe Bach noted Monday to the media. The editor-in-chief of Courrier recalled the difficult years experienced by the written press, particularly in Geneva, with the disappearance of titles, mergers, series restructuring.
Politicians are dismayed by this development, but seem helpless compared to it, explained Philippe Bach. In order to launch the debate, Le Courrier is organizing an evening on Wednesday to discuss potential measures to support the press, with the presence of the President of the Geneva government Nathalie Fontanet.
The Geneva newspaper already has some ideas on this subject. In particular, he would like to break the taboo of direct aid to the press. This direct aid is already in force in France, as well as in the Nordic countries and in Germany, noted Philippe Bach. They also exist for audiovisual.
The price of digital
The editorial staff of the Geneva daily also believes that the written press should be helped with its digital transition. Titles are in fact bearing the brunt of new reading methods, with the growing importance of mobile phones, underlined Philippe Bach. This adaptation, however, comes at a high cost.
If nothing is done to relieve the regional written press, the situation will only get worse for them. Measures must be taken quickly, because there is an emergency, noted Julien Rey, the administrative director of Courrier. The Geneva daily, for example, is on a tightrope.
The 2024 financial year currently shows a deficit of 200,000 francs. Today, three-quarters of daily revenues come from subscriptions to the paper newspaper, but this revenue decreases by 5% per year and is not offset by subscriptions to the digital newspaper, indicated Julien Rey.
A newspaper in danger from next year
Le Courrier could find itself in “very troubled waters from next year”, insisted Julien Rey. In addition to subscriptions, the Geneva newspaper operates thanks to money from subscriptions and donations, as well as through partnerships concluded with public authorities. But that is not enough.
In other cantons, measures to support the regional written press have emerged. In Fribourg, a law offers, for example, a subscription to young people aged 18. The City of La Chaux-de-Fonds, for its part, provides financial assistance in two ways, which corresponds to a contribution of 2 francs per inhabitant.
ats/ther
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