When asked about journalists’ role in a democracy, the self-image of a watchdog was not common to all the interviewees. While the role as a critically analytical intermediary between the public and the political elite is one that is taken seriously, some editors see their main task as being the providers of information. The need for independent information seems to be a principle common to all selected news media. There is no distinctive culture of investigative journalism in Switzerland. Some interviewees stated that the watchdog function is not as essential as it was some time ago. no one wants to be the “monopolistic watchdog” – not even the public broadcaster SRG SSR. On the other hand, there is a wish to work more with investigation and to spend more time finding stories and scandals. That would be “the icing on the cake”; however most media do not have sufficient funds.
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