Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

TV ombudsman: no notable women in Swiss history

A media ombudsman has drawn a line under Swiss history, stating women have only played a “secondary role”. The landmark ruling said that a documentary series on significant Swiss in history was not discriminatory for only featuring men.  

The Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and TelevisionExternal link said that the series had portrayed historical figures who shaped entire eras. They included figures from the beginning of Swiss history such as Werner Stauffacher, one of the 13th century oath takers at the Rütli meadow, Switzerland’s historical birthplace, or Niklaus von Flüe, hermit and patron saint of Switzerland.

Guillaume Henri Dufour, the general who led the federal army to victory in the civil war, and Alfred Escher, a politician, businessman and railway pioneer who in the 19th century spearheaded the foundation of the Federal Institute of Technology, Credit Suisse, Swiss Life and the Gotthard railway, also played a prominent role in the programme.

But a viewer,  supported  by at least 20 more people, had complained that women were marginalised by the documentary and that the television programme conveyed an antiquated understanding of Swiss history.

The complaints authority, headed by Roger Blum, a professor for communication and media sciences, did not share their view.

The authority said that the four-part documentary “The Swiss” did not violate diversity requirements or the prohibition of discrimination. “There were objective reasons for the fact that women played a secondary role in it,” it said.

Criticism that the documentary glorified and belittled violence was also rejected on the grounds that the depiction of violence was not an end  in itself.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

No Swiss bank in phase with environmental objectives

More

Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF

This content was published on None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.

Read more: Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF
UNRWA provides emergency assistance to just over one million Palestine refugees, or about 75 per cent of all Palestine refugees in Gaza, who lack the financial means to cover their basic food.

More

Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

This content was published on The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.

Read more: Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR