APD logo. Courtesy of Herbert Bodenmann.
Adventist Press Service Switzerland
By Christian B. Schäffler
Christian B. Schäffler, Swiss CoC (Business School KV, Basel, Switzerland), is a well-known journalist, Christian communicator and inter-church relations expert who retired in 2010 as director and editor-in-chief of the News Agency APD Switzerland (Adventistischer Pressedienst), which he founded in 1974. He also served the church for several years as conference communication director and delegate at various institutions. During his 36 years as a professional journalist and APD-editor, he has written numerous articles for the church and secular press.
First Published: May 31, 2022
The news agency APD (Adventist Press Service – Adventistischer Pressedienst) was founded in Basel in 1974 on the initiative of the journalist Christian Bernhard Schäffler. He remained its director and editor-in-chief until 2010. Since the expansion and repositioning of the press service as a news agency in 2004, “APD Switzerland” has become an integral part of the media world in the German-speaking countries. The agency is based in Basel. APD® is the legally protected abbreviation of the name in German: “Adventistischer Pressedienst”.
APD informs by circulating current news from the Adventist world as well as about Christian events and developments in general. Agency news is distributed electronically and can be read online on the APD website. APD Switzerland also produces the monthly “APD-INFORMATIONEN” (ISSN 2673-6802) in German. Recipients of this e-edition are, besides the media, mainly archives, libraries, research centers and private persons.
The church agency is integrated into the Adventist communication structure in Switzerland. However, it operates independently of the church leadership and other interest groups according to the guidelines of the Swiss media law. These include a commitment to truthful, objective and comprehensive reporting. APD addresses its news primarily to the secular media (print media, online media, radio, television), the media of other churches and other bodies of public information.
For the media pioneer Schäffler, the following maxim has been crucial since APD was founded: “The truth is the best mark of quality.” Therefore it was important to report objectively also about unpleasant issues in the church, according to Schäffler, because a church that represents itself better than it is finds no credibility in today’s society.
APD has been in close editorial cooperation since 1992 with the Adventist Press Service in Germany (APD Deutschland), founded in 1984 and based in Lüneburg, as well as with other church media agencies.
Editors-in-Chief: Christian Bernhard Schäffler (1974-2010); Herbert Bodenmann (2010- )
Website: www.apd.media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APDSchweiz/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/apd_ch?lang=de
E-Mail: [email protected]
Sources
APD website. “Impressum,” https://apd.media/impressum/de.html.