Schweizerischer Verein für ausgewogene Berichterstattung
SVFAB has developed the world’s only methodology to examine public broadcasting systematically, AI-assisted and reproducibly against its legal mandate. We offer this analysis as a service — for organisations pursuing the same standard in their country.
SVFAB already operates a comprehensive data pool with >16 million items from 145 countries — updated daily. Data is available for most countries and broadcasters. Partners define the research question — we deliver the analysis from the existing pool.
Standard — Analysis from the pool
Time period, topics, criteria, frequency — freely definable. The data is there. You choose what we analyse.
Extension — Special corpora
For content not included in the standard pool — government documents, regional broadcasters, historical archives — we expand the corpus specifically. The partner delivers the material or defines the sources, SVFAB integrates and analyses.
Why centralised? Because only this guarantees comparability. The same methodology, the same criteria, the same scoring — across national borders. Like a measurement standard, not like a toolbox.
Every broadcast is analysed against 15 criteria — 9 documentarily countable (Hardfacts) and 6 qualitative (Softfacts) — complemented by a political classification (CHES):
Hardfacts — countable, reproducible:
1. Expert selection — Who is presented as a specialist?
2. Source selection — Which sources are consulted?
3. Time distribution — Who gets how much airtime?
4. Omission — What is systematically left out?
5. Number manipulation — Are data presented accurately?
6. Guilt by association — Is someone discredited through association?
7. Timing — When is information placed?
8. Selective outrage — Is outrage applied asymmetrically?
9. Completeness — Are all relevant perspectives represented?
Softfacts — qualitative, context-dependent:
10. Framing — How are issues contextualised?
11. Word choice — Which terms are used?
12. Moderation behaviour — How does the presenter act?
13. Question asymmetry — Are questions distributed fairly?
14. False balance — Are fringe positions treated as equivalent?
15. Agenda setting — Which topics are set?
+ CHES (Chapel Hill Expert Survey)
Political classification of all protagonists on the left-right spectrum — based on the international research standard.
Switzerland — SRG
Since 1968 · >300,000 broadcasts · >30 formats in 4 language regions (SRF, RTS, RSI, RTR)
Tagesschau, 10vor10, Arena, Rundschau, Kassensturz, DOK, Schweiz aktuell, Club, Echo der Zeit, Infrarouge, Mise au point, Temps présent, Telegiornale, and more.
Germany — ARD / ZDF
Since 2020 · >150,000 broadcasts · 4 formats
Tagesschau (ARD), heute journal (ZDF), Markus Lanz (ZDF), Frontal (ZDF)
Worldwide — 145 countries
Systematic analysis of public broadcasters on 5 continents, in 76 languages. >16 million items in the data pool, updated daily.
Regulatory authorities — Media supervision, quality control, programme monitoring: empirical basis for supervisory decisions.
Courts — Documentary evidence in programme complaint proceedings and concession disputes.
Legislation — Parliamentary committees and media spokespersons: empirical basis for inquiries, reforms and draft legislation.
Licensing — Review of mandate fulfilment as a basis for concession decisions and performance agreements.
Control and oversight — Systematic monitoring of mandate fulfilment over time series — not individual cases, but patterns.
Civil society — Organisations that want to examine public broadcasting in their country for balance — documentarily, not politically.
Research — Universities and researchers who want to use the methodology or the data pool for academic projects.
Published party programmes of all represented parties as the reference line. No political presupposition. Full source disclosure. SVFAB is not a political camp — we work with organisations that take balance seriously, regardless of which party benefits.
Interested?
We welcome enquiries from organisations, institutions and individuals worldwide.