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List of newspapers in Switzerland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The number of newspapers in Switzerland was 406 before World War I. It reduced to 257 in 1995 and 197 in 2010.[1] Prior to the 18th century, the Swiss press market was small, being limited to the elites who were literate, though development varied by region and language. The authorities of the Cantons of Switzerland also censored the press, which mostly prevented newspapers from reporting many aspects of local and confederal news. Due to the influence of the Enlightenment this began to change in the 1730s. The Helvetic Republic proclaimed national freedom of the press, but soon after censorship by the government increased again. The Tagsatzung made efforts to unify cantonal censorship practices through several decrees relating to the press and foreigners, which renewed efforts to get freedom of the press. This was achieved during the restoration period, after which a politically active press became present in all the linguistic regions of the country. Most papers then served to politically propagandize, even when operating as a loss.[2] Press later became commercial, first in Francophone Switzerland in the 1870s, followed by German-speaking Switzerland in the 1890s; Italian-speaking Switzerland only did the same towards the end of the 20th century.[2]
Switzerland has a high rate of newspaper reading, even with the creation of electronic media.[2] The Francophone press market was, for several generations, dominated by Edipresse (Lausanne, which owned most of the dailies) and Ringier (Zurich, owned most of the magazines), but new competition arrived in the 21st century. Edipresse's Swiss operations were in 2009 bought out by Tamedia (Zurich; now TX Group).[1] The country was ranked 9th in the yearly Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders in 2024.[3]
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German language
The leading German-language papers in Switzerland are the Blick, Tages-Anzeiger, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, and Basler Zeitung.[3]
French language
The leading Francophone papers in Switzerland are the 24 heures, Tribune de Genève, La Liberté, and Le Temps.[3] Prior to 1830, the press was limited, largely due to government censorship which made covering political topics difficult. There were a few political newspapers, but they usually had short lifespans, in addition to some opinion papers. Due to the increased freedoms in the post 1830 period, the amount of newspapers dramatically increased. From 1870 to 1910, there was also a large increase in local Francophone papers, whereas before there were largely only papers for cantonal capitals and cities. There was also a cantonal press, with more professional journalism and with a larger format (also with access to news agencies). Many such papers were expressly political and partisan; in contrast there was a more neutral press, like the Tribune de Genève, L'Impartial, and Tribune de Lausanne, which were successful.[2]
In this period the only papers with multiple canton circulation were the Tribune de Genève, Journal de Genève, and the Gazette de Lausanne. Toward the end of the 19th century, the Francophone press became increasingly commercialized, which resulted in tension between the cantonal and local news (who often took from the cantonal press for their information), and several journalist associations were created at the turn of the century. From 1910 to the mid-1950s there was a steady number of papers, with about 110. During the 1970s there was a decline in titles, with mergers and closers, resulting in part from changes in advertising. The company Lousonna, later Edipresse, became increasingly dominant and would later own a large portion of the industry. It competed with Tamedia (TX Group), which acquired its Swiss operations in 2009.[2]
Italian language
Journalism in Ticino declined during the period of Napoleon's rule, due to French influence and suppression. Following the restoration there was a resurgence.[2]
Romansh language
Romansh language press has only existed since the 19th century, with the singular exception of the Gazetta ordinaria da Scuol paper, founded in 1700. As the language is divided into five different written forms and the Grisons are divided by Christian denomination, the papers created reflected this linguistic and religious diversity. Papers were regional, mostly weekly or twice weekly and largely had low print runs. In 1997, all Romansh papers besides La Pagina da Surmeir and Engadiner Post / Posta Ladina were absorbed into the paper La Quotidiana, the first daily Romansh newspaper.[2]
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German language
French language
Italian language
Romansh language
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