Dresden (dpa / sn) - Saxony wants to introduce an initiative to the Bundesrat to preserve press diversity. The cabinet decided on Tuesday in Dresden. The motion for a resolution will be made on Friday together with the state of Lower Saxony, said Head of State and Media Minister Oliver Schenk (CDU). "Press products are increasingly coming under economic pressure due to cost increases, which they can no longer cushion on their own. With the Federal Council initiative, we want to counteract this situation and continue to guarantee the process of public opinion-forming, which is so important for our democracy, by supporting media diversity."
In times of fake news, disinformation and conspiracy theories, more than ever there is a need for efficient media that report freely, independently and investigatively and that meet journalistic standards, said Schenk. That should not be the privilege of individual regions. You need complete and comprehensive reporting. "We don't want individual regions to be left behind, that this feeling arises in the first place because newspapers can no longer be delivered in these rural regions." In addition, one must think of older people who are not so familiar with electronic media.
The reason for the Federal Council initiative are the increased energy and fuel costs as well as the massively increased prices and shortages of newsprint and aluminum for printing plates, said Schenk. From October there will be a further significant increase in wage costs. This will make newspaper delivery more expensive and uneconomical in parts of the country. "This jeopardizes the profitability of many printed products." Schenk referred to studies according to which around 40 percent of the delivery regions can no longer be supplied by 2025.
According to Schenk, the last federal government earmarked 180 million euros for this cause, but did not pay it out. Schenk considers a sum of 200 million euros to be appropriate. The initiative will call on the federal government to take action as quickly as possible so that press products can continue to reach users in all parts of the country.
