Pluralism is one of the main goals of all media products. These statements from the editors-in-chief can be affirmed by a current study on diversity in Swiss regional newspapers. There is no explicit exclusion of any groups, perspectives, opinions (cf. Meier et al. 2011). Media organizations strive for pluralism not only for democratic reasons, but also because they target a wide readership/audience. yet free sheets and tabloids do not feel obliged to cover everything, especially because not every topic suits their format. The public broadcaster SRG SSR is bound to pluralism by law.
Even though mission statements constitute pluralism in the different media organizations, pluralism has suffered in recent years for different reasons. Lack of time to investigate, lack of diverse sources and other precarious job conditions due to the economic (and the media) crisis harm pluralism (cf. Meier et al. 2011). Furthermore, pluralism also suffers because there are not enough experts anymore. Journalists in Switzerland are well trained in the field of their profession but they have little expert knowledge on specific matters. Even their knowledge of national politics and administration is limited. They depend on external expertise.
