Media voucher as an alternative to the SRG fee.
Healthy democracies need well-informed citizens. Better information means better decisions. Social media threaten enlightened democratic participation with their mechanisms and misinformation.
Problem
- Social media makes it easy to misinform and manipulate citizens.
- Without quality media and informed citizens, there is no functioning democracy.
- In certain regions of Switzerland, there are no longer any regional news, leading to a lack of information and thus making political participation more difficult.
- The business model of traditional media has collapsed with the internet. This leads to massive cutbacks in editorial teams at the expense of quality and diversity.
- SRG stands for correctly researched and verified information, with journalistically trained editors and journalists who adhere to media laws. This enables neutral opinion formation and is central to democracy. Contribution cuts are dangerous.
Solution
- Every resident over 16 years old receives a media voucher worth CHF 250 per year, which can be used for political media.
- Sources must be disclosed online in a standardized format for all reports.
- It must always be clearly visible what type of article it is (opinion, reporting, research, etc.).
- All subscriptions can be canceled monthly, so the customer can switch freely at any time.
- All content is made available free of charge in a central archive after one month, so that everyone can inform themselves broadly and check sources.
Benefit
- This means the population is better informed and can thus participate more effectively in Switzerland's democracy.
- When citizens have access to reliable and well-researched information, it curbs the spread of misinformation and fake news.
- A media voucher can reduce socioeconomic barriers and enable all citizens, regardless of their income, to access high-quality information. This can contribute to greater social justice.
- If the voucher can only be used for ad-free media, it allows users to consume content without distraction and influence from advertising. This improves the quality of the media experience and reduces the burden of advertising.
- Well-informed citizens are essential for a functioning democracy. Access to high-quality information promotes political engagement and citizen participation.
Public support
Total votes: 65
Breakdown: FullyOnBoard: 31, SoundsGood: 16, NoChance: 5, NeedForDiscussion: 5, NothingAgainstIt: 5, Concerns: 3
Discussion
- jacopo rodighiero (2026-07-09): The core problem with mainstream media is that in recent years they have been politically instrumentalized, funded by money received in the form of advertising. One possible solution would be to limit the tenure of senior executives in these institutions and require them to disclose their salary and economic benefits on an annual basis, so that it becomes as transparent as possible how and how much these figures are paid.