1 Source before opinion
Every piece is based on an accessible document. What cannot be substantiated is not published.
The principles of Bundesklar – Journal
2 Describe, don’t recommend
No voting recommendations in our reporting, and no portrayal of actors as right or wrong.
3 Reporting and analysis kept apart
Evaluative pieces are labelled, carry an author’s name and never appear unmarked alongside the reporting. This is enforced by a mandatory field, not by editorial instinct.
4 No ties to parties or interest groups
No contributions, advertising or commissions from parties, campaign committees, defence contractors or procurement authorities. The editorial team’s interests are disclosed.
5 Make disputes visible, don’t settle them
Where the facts are disputed, the conflicting evidence is cited together with its origin.
6 Open selection criteria
The criteria for choosing topics are published so that omissions can be checked. Selection is itself a judgement: it can be disclosed, not defined away.
7 Corrections are part of the product
Errors are corrected, and every change is flagged and dated. Pieces do not disappear.
8 Machine assistance is disclosed
Nothing is published without human approval.
Declared interests
Twelve topic areas
| 1 | Security and defenceArmed forces, procurement, armaments, intelligence, civil protection, international security cooperation | A |
| 2 | Foreign policy and EuropeEuropean policy, bilateral relations, international treaties, development cooperation, sanctions, human rights | A |
| 3 | State, institutions and democracypolitical rights, federalism, organisation of the authorities, transparency, parliamentary law, court organisation and the Federal Supreme Court | B |
| 4 | Federal finances and taxesBudget, federal accounts, debt brake, taxes, subsidies, financial planning | B |
| 5 | Economy, financial centre and competitionLabour market, trade, business regulation, financial markets, FINMA and financial market supervision, competition, consumer protection | B |
| 6 | Social affairs and healthSocial insurance, retirement provision, health insurance, long-term care, public health | B |
| 7 | Migration, justice and internal securityAsylum procedure, immigration, integration, police, border protection, criminal prosecution, criminal and civil law, justice | B |
| 8 | Energy, environment and supplyEnergy policy, climate, biodiversity, spatial planning, agriculture, security of supply | B |
| 9 | Transport and infrastructureRoads, rail, aviation, postal services, telecommunications, digital and physical networks | B |
| 10 | Education, research and innovationHigher education institutions, vocational education and training, research funding, technology transfer | B |
| 11 | Digital affairs, AI and dataDigitalisation of government, artificial intelligence, data protection, cybersecurity, open data, e-ID | A |
| 12 | Media, culture and public serviceMedia support, SRG SSR, cultural participation, language policy, cultural promotion, public service | B |
Sponsors
Who cannot sponsor
Excluded are political parties and their organisations, campaign and referendum committees, defence contractors and their associations, procurement authorities and bodies attached to them, and organisations visibly campaigning for a pending ballot measure. Sponsorship buys visibility, never content: no sponsor sees a piece before publication. Where the paper reports on a sponsor, the relationship is disclosed in the piece.