Journal21 is a Swiss independent digital magazine founded in 2010 by Heiner Hug, the former editor-in-chief of the public broadcaster's evening news programme Tagesschau. The media outlet publishes daily in-depth analysis, opinion, background reports, and features on Switzerland's current political, economic, and cultural affairs.

All the information is produced by a large team of experienced journalists who have worked or are still working for significant Swiss media houses and contribute to Journal21 voluntarily.

Intending to make the team's knowledge, experience, and analysis available to an interested audience, all publications on Journal21 are freely accessible. A daily newsletter informs readers about newly published articles.

Most of the pieces are in German; however, articles are occasionally published in French, English, and Italian.

The media outlet is run by the non-profit association Journal 21 and receives contributions from patrons and single donations.

Source: Oasis Europe

Last updated date: November 2025

Location:
Zürich, Switzerland
Year the organization started publishing:
2010
Languages:
English
French
German
Italian
Type of coverage:
National

Content

Editorial coverage:
Generalist, focused on multiple topics
Type of content produced by theme:
Politics
Economy and business
Entertainment and culture
Society and human rights
Economy and finance
Journalism genres:
Essays
Interviews and reporting
Opinion
Journalism coverage types and techniques:
Explanatory journalism
Tech platforms and other mediums used:
Website
Newsletter
Social media platforms
Twitter
Facebook
Primary tech platform or medium used to publish content:
Website

Audience and reach

Social media audience

Facebook number of followers:
1,900
Twitter number of followers:
1,223

Management and team

Founders

Female:
0
Male:
1
Founders:
Heiner Hug
Directors:
Heiner Hug, Urs Meier, Stephan Wehowsky, Reinhard Meier, Ignaz Staub, Silvia Kübler, Pedro Hochmann

Team

Full-time employees:
0
Part-time employees:
0
Freelancers or consultants:
0
Volunteers:
0

Business structure and revenue sources

Organization tax status:
Non-profit
All revenue sources reported by media leaders:
Audience support / reader revenue
Individual donations

Transparency

Has a data privacy policy
Publishes a data privacy policy
Publishes up to date information about its team

Why is this profile included?

This media outlet is part of our directory because it meets SembraMedia’s inclusion criteria: it produces original content, serves the public interest, and works with independence and transparency. This profile was developed using publicly available information, and is shared for informational purposes only. We aim to keep the information current, but SembraMedia does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness, and recommends verifying any key details with the media organization.

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