Earlier in January 2023, the newspaper Schweiz am Wochenende alleged repeated communication took place between a member of Switzerland’s interior ministry and the media group Ringier during the Covid pandemic. Since then accusations have been directed at Alain Berset, the minister in charge of the department, reported RTS.
The information allegedly shared allowed the newspaper Blick, part of the Ringier Group, to publish information on the government’s Covid plans before other media. However, so far many details remain unclear. According to Tamedia, Ringier’s largest competitor, there were potentially 180 written exchanges.
Marc Walder, the CEO of Ringier, had nothing to do with any leaks, said the group. In any case Blick operates independently, it said.
Since the story broke, a parliamentary investigation has been launched and an investigation is now underway.
This week, Berset assured his colleagues that he was not aware of any leaks from his department to the Ringier Group, reported RTS. And while the Federal Council condemned the leak, it indicated that confidence had been restored. In addition, Berset has said that he is ready to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation.
The allegations come at an unfortunate time. This year, Alain Berset is Switzerland’s president.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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