Ladina Heimgartner is a Swiss woman who heads the World Publishers Association. She was elected president at the beginning of the week at the World News Media Congress in Copenhagen. Heimgartner is now the head of the global industry organization of private media companies. The association represents a good 3,000 private media companies worldwide. According to Heimgartner, the position brings with it many challenges that can also be overcome through networking.
SRF News: What significance does the office have for you?
Ladina Heimgartner: This position is something very special. This is one of the most important days in my professional career. I have dedicated my entire professional life of over 20 years to the media. To ensure that journalists can research and report freely, to ensure diversity of opinion. And now to be elected as president of an organization that includes 3,000 media companies around the world is a huge honor and joy.
What tasks and challenges do you face?
We are extremely concerned with two issues. Firstly, business models that will take us into the future. With the big tech companies like Google and OpenAI, the media world is being further disrupted. Finding our place there is a challenge. And secondly, media freedom around the world. Things are not looking so good there at the moment.
How can we ensure that we remain viable as private media in this rapidly changing world?
You are elected for two years, which leaves little time to achieve something lasting.
The regular term of office is two years. It is possible to be re-elected. There are two vice presidents and one of them has already been designated to be the successor.
What advantages, if any, can Swiss media companies benefit from your position?
The office opens a lot of doors. I have been in Copenhagen for three days and have exchanged ideas with colleagues from many countries such as the USA, India and African markets. Technology companies are also prominently represented. You can make good contacts there, which will probably also give the Swiss media industry an advantage.
Legend:
According to Heimgartner, the problems facing media companies on a global level do not differ greatly from those being discussed in Switzerland.
Keystone / TI-PRESS, PABLO GIANINAZZI (28.01.2022)
Can you only scratch the surface in these conversations or do you also go deeper?
Both. If you sit down and drink coffee, it will probably remain superficial. But most of the time you sit down with a very specific goal or topic in mind. And then you dive into it very dedicatedly. Often it is enough to have an initial contact, which you then deepen over the course of the year. Such conferences are extremely efficient and very valuable. Because everyone is there, very open and ready for such contact and discussions.
Where do you currently see the biggest challenges in Switzerland?
Like most countries, Switzerland is suffering from declining media freedom. In Switzerland, this is still intact. In Switzerland, however, like everywhere else, we have the issue of how we can ensure that we remain viable as private media in this rapidly changing world? On the one hand, we have advertising revenue, which is increasingly flowing to the big tech companies. And on the other hand, people are willing to pay. People still pay a few francs for a newspaper at the kiosk. But on the Internet, people are not so keen to pay for content. And that is of course a big challenge.
The interview was conducted by Tim Eggimann.