Swiss newspapers and news media of the Confederation

The Swiss press is read in German, French and Italian: the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Tages-Anzeiger and Blick in the German-speaking part, Le Temps, 24 heures and the Tribune de Genève in Romandy, the Corriere del Ticino in Ticino, plus the SSR and its websites.

A press tradition born in Zurich in the 18th century

Founded in 1780 as the Zürcher Zeitung, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung is one of the oldest daily newspapers still published in Europe. Federalism long encouraged a multitude of cantonal papers, often tied to a political party or a religious denomination.

NZZ, Tages-Anzeiger, Blick: the big German-language titles

The NZZ stands for a liberal line and dense international coverage. The Tages-Anzeiger, owned by TX Group, sits more to the centre left in Zurich, while Blick, published by Ringier, is the leading popular daily in German-speaking Switzerland.

German, French, Italian and Romansh

Switzerland has four national languages, and each language region has its own newspaper market. French-speaking readers rarely read the Zurich papers, so you need to consult several titles to understand a federal debate or a popular vote.

Lausanne, Geneva, Fribourg: the French-speaking press

Le Temps, born in 1998 from the merger of the Journal de Genève and the Nouveau Quotidien, serves as Romandy's daily of record. 24 heures in Lausanne, the Tribune de Genève, La Liberté in Fribourg and Le Nouvelliste in Valais cover cantonal news.

Ticino and its Italian-language press

In Lugano, the Corriere del Ticino dominates the Italian-language press, alongside La Regione, published in Bellinzona. These titles follow both federal politics and relations with Lombardy, much like the neighbouring Italian press in Milan does from the other side.

Watson, Heidi.news, Republik: the digital-native outlets

Several newsrooms were born online: Watson in Zurich, with a French-language edition, Heidi.news in Geneva and Republik, a reader-funded magazine since 2018. The free dailies 20 Minuten and 20 minutes attract a young audience on mobile.

What does the Keystone-ATS agency provide?

Formed in 2018 when the Swiss Telegraphic Agency joined forces with the Keystone photo agency, Keystone-ATS supplies wire stories and images in German, French and Italian. Most regional dailies rely on its feeds for federal and international news.

SRG SSR, from RTS to RSI

The public broadcaster SSR brings together RTS in French, SRF in German, RSI in Italian and RTR in Romansh. Its websites offer TV news bulletins, podcasts and live radio, while Swissinfo addresses foreigners in several languages.

Swissinfo and the Swiss abroad

More than 800,000 Swiss citizens live outside the country, which explains the importance of Swissinfo and the Swiss Review. Many French-speaking readers also turn to the French press online for European news and stories from the border regions.

Banking, watchmaking and sport: the specialist titles

For finance, Finanz und Wirtschaft and the Handelszeitung in Zurich, along with L'Agefi in Geneva, follow the banks and the Swiss stock exchange. Ice hockey, alpine skiing and football take up a large share of Blick and RTS coverage.

Media group concentration and digital subscriptions

TX Group, Ringier and CH Media control a large share of titles, which often share newsrooms and content. The NZZ, Le Temps and the Tages-Anzeiger run on paid digital subscriptions, with a few free articles each month.

Compare the language regions before drawing conclusions

Before a popular vote, read a German-language title such as the NZZ, a French-language one such as Le Temps, and the public broadcaster. For the cross-border German-language press, our German newspapers online page usefully rounds out the picture of German-speaking Switzerland.

Reading the Swiss press from abroad

1. Choose a daily of record in your language: Le Temps in French, the NZZ in German or the Corriere del Ticino in Italian.
2. Add a regional title from the canton you care about, such as 24 heures for Vaud or the Tribune de Genève.
3. Install the RTS, SRF or Swissinfo app for news alerts and TV bulletins.
4. Check Keystone-ATS stories carried by the papers to follow decisions of the Federal Council and Parliament.
5. Before each popular vote, compare the editorial recommendations of several newspapers with the authorities' official explanatory material.
6. Check the date and region of publication, because a single group runs identical articles under several mastheads.

Subscriptions and access to Swiss media

Key facts on the Swiss press

• Languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh
• News agency: Keystone-ATS
• Public broadcaster: SSR, with RTS, SRF, RSI and RTR
• Dailies of record: NZZ, Le Temps, Corriere del Ticino
• Business: Finanz und Wirtschaft, L'Agefi
• Time zone: Central European Time
• Subscription currency: Swiss franc (CHF)

Common mistakes with Swiss media

• Assuming an article in the Tages-Anzeiger and one in 24 heures are independent when they often come from the same shared group newsroom.
• Reading only the French-language press and ignoring German-speaking opinion, which forms the majority in many federal votes.
• Confusing an editorial stance taken before a vote with the official text actually put to the people.
• Trying to open RTS or SRF videos from abroad without knowing that some content is geo-blocked.
• Sharing an old study or poll about Switzerland that is being recirculated without its publication date.

Common questions about Swiss newspapers