28.09.2022 |News
RTS and transparency win against Philip Morris Switzerland
RTS has respected the rules in conducting its interview with Philip Morris, whose complaint to the Swiss Press Council was rejected. RTS has won the case against the carcinogenic products retailer in the programme, "Mise au point", and can continue to do transparent and independent journalism.
Snapshot from said interview of "Mise au point" with Philip Morris Switzerland
In a decision published on 23 September 2022, the Swiss Press Council ruled against PMI Switzerland in its complaint against Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS). PMI's attempt to suppress truths they do not like has thus completely failed. The excellent report of "Mise au point" can be watched here: https://www.rts.ch/info/economie/12617099-la-fin-de-la-cigarette-une-bonne-nouvelle-pour-philip-morris.html.
The part disputed by PMI Switzerland, on the fact that they aim at a strategy of normalisation of tobacco consumption, thanks to the IQOS, is at the end of the report.
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Text by the Swiss Press Council (original in French) The Press Council has rejected the complaint lodged by Philip Morris Switzerland (PMS) against the "Mise au Point" programme on Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS). Philip Morris accused RTS of having, during a recorded interview with its spokesperson, referred to an internal strategy document in its possession without its spokesperson having been informed in advance. It then criticised RTS for having simply covered up its spokesperson's remarks with a beep accompanied by a voice-over explaining to the viewer that Philip Morris had demanded the removal of the sequence and did not wish to "comment on this confidential document". Philip Morris claimed that it had been tricked and maintained that RTS had not acted fairly on these two points. The Press Council noted that, while RTS had not transmitted the problematic internal strategy document to the spokesperson prior to the filmed interview, it had warned him of the purpose of the interview beforehand (some 40 emails were exchanged) and that the subject of the document, corporate strategy, was clearly part of the agreed interview. As for the beep coverage of the Philip Morris spokesperson's comments, the Press Council notes that RTS respected its commitment to the company to remove the quote at its request. The "Declaration of the Journalist's Duties and Rights" recognises that journalists have the right to "rework and shorten statements made by their interviewees, provided that the meaning of these statements is not changed", especially since in the event of a substantial change in the content of the interview at the request of the interviewee (in this case, deletion of a part), the journalist is authorised to "make this intervention transparent". In conclusion, the Press Council rejected the complaint. Position paper |