Media: study sees growing pressure from platforms and AI

The "Media Use 2035" study was conducted by the Research Center for the Public Sphere and Society (fög) at the University of Zurich and was sponsored by the Swiss Media Publishers Association (VSM). It assumes that the demand for journalistic news will fall in the long term and that usage will continue to fragment.

In the view of the fög, purely market-based financing of journalism is not sufficient under these conditions. The study sees a need for political action in terms of media funding, the protection of intellectual property and the promotion of media skills. "Platforms and AI providers are systematically using journalistic services without remunerating them appropriately", VSM President Andrea Masüger was quoted as saying in a press release.

Association supports demand from FDP member of the Council of States Petra Gössi

The VSM sees a need for political action and is calling for remuneration models for the use of journalistic content by AI applications. "People with media skills use news more frequently and, according to the fög, are more willing to pay for journalistic content," says VSM Director Pia Guggenbühl. The association sees the promotion of media literacy as a long-term investment in a functioning democratic public sphere.

The VSM's demands are in the context of current media policy decisions. The National Council and Council of States have adopted a motion by FDP member of the Council of States Petra Gössi, which provides for a remuneration obligation for the use of journalistic services by AI.