The Canton of Bern – rediscovered (Swiss Press Text 2012, by Daniel Barben) - Swiss Press Award

BZ Berner Zeitung

Daniel Barben

Introduction: The Canton of Bern – Rediscovered Everyone knows the Canton of Bern. Really? The Berner Zeitung, with a three-page graphics package, allows a second, fresh look and offers a fascinating snapshot of our homeland. Description of the submitted work: A fascinating snapshot of our living space Civil servants and farmers, unworldly loners, trapped in their narrow valleys: There are many clichés about the Canton of Bern. By no means all of them are true: Bern is a canton of civil servants and farmers? By far the most Bernese (71,000) work in the healthcare sector, and the trend is rising. Are Bernese unworldly loners? People from practically every country in the world live in the Canton of Bern – even two from the island of Tonga. Are Bernese stuck in their narrow valleys? A Bernese travels 40 kilometers on an average day – more than the average Swiss person. The Berner Zeitung graphics team has delved into statistics and offers a new perspective on the Canton of Bern on three pages. The result is a fascinating snapshot of our living space. Reasons for submitting an infographic for the Press Award The Berner Zeitung has developed the infographic further in recent years – from an adjunct that supports the message of an article to an independent journalistic narrative form. Infographics can tell stories in a visual way and enable a playful approach to a topic. They can do this, for example, by linking new and astonishing aspects or revealing more complex connections. The illustrative nature of visualizations and their non-linear reading allow the viewer to freely explore the content and lead them to engage with a subject in more depth. We see great potential in infographics, especially in local journalism, which is worth promoting and supporting. This requires important journalistic achievement. The submitted article required researching data and information, identifying the most interesting topics among the numerous statistics, weighting them according to journalistic criteria, placing the information in new contexts, and conveying it in a way that is generally understandable and accurate. According to Article 1 of the jury regulations, the Press Prize serves to promote local media and is aimed at media professionals who have achieved exceptional achievements in local journalism. As described above, we consider a three-page graphic portrait to be a notable journalistic achievement. The regulations do not explicitly stipulate that the work must be in text form. The submitted work, as required by Article 6, relates to local events and topics within the newspaper's primary circulation area. The criteria in Article 8 are also applicable: An infographic must be relevant, accurate, generally understandable, original, and address the topic appropriately. The team involved in the infographic package: Bernadette Blaser, Monika Frischknecht, Sabine Glardon, Daniel Bernet, and Daniel Barben. I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Sincerely, Daniel Barben, Production Team Leader, daniel.barben@bernerzeitung.ch, +49 79 645 49 46