Door open, chair ready

He who asks, leads. He who listens, understands.

I wrote this sentence into my journalistic code of conduct many years ago — and I live by it, whether in the Bundeshaus, on the phone, in a pub after a meeting, or at my desk at half-past five in the morning when the first news alerts arrive.

Today, something new is emerging here, under beni-gafner.ch. A site that does not aim to be a cover letter or a showroom, but rather a notebook on the web. Here, I collect what does not quite fit into the classic newspaper grid: longer reflections, chains of sources I wish to trace, observations from the periphery of events — and occasionally a pointed opinion, because analysis without stance is worthless.

What you will find here — and what you will not

You will find no quick headlines here. For that, there are newsdesks that can do it better than an individual. What you will find here are texts that are allowed to breathe a moment longer before they reach you. Reports concerning the Bundeshaus, investigations into Swiss security and foreign policy, notes on asylum and migration issues, alongside conversations that I conduct and moderate.

A section called Appearances gathers my voice in other houses — newspaper articles, podcasts, TV reports, lectures. A second section will be dedicated to this blog, with posts that appear only in this place.

Why this site at all?

Because I grew tired of shaking someone’s hand at an event and explaining at that very moment that I don’t have a business card with me and “you’ll have to Google that”. Because over the years, my work has fragmented into many different houses, each with its own paywalls and its own search engines. And because I feel like writing occasionally, without someone pre-emptively cutting a word count into my brief.

This website is, therefore, also a kind of home for my texts. A place where I am my own editor — and where you, as a reader, can arrive without detours.

Let us speak.

Most importantly: This page is not a one-way street. I look forward to your reactions — both the agreeing and the opposing, as long as they are sincere. Three paths are open:

• Comments under the posts: for the quick reply, the short addition, the polite objection.
• Direct email: for longer rebuttals, for tips that do not belong in the public eye, or for topics I may have overlooked. The address is in the footer of this page — protected from bots, free for you.
• Inquiries for moderation, consulting, lectures: For this, please use the contact form. I aim to respond within two working days.

One thing is important to me: I respond myself. There is no filter here, no secretariat, no tool that categorises your lines and moves them into a queue. When you write, I read.

A request to begin with

If something on this site is not working — a link that leads to nowhere, a term that is unclear, a figure that is incorrect — please tell me. Websites are also texts, and texts improve when someone who is not the author reads along.

Door open, chair ready. Do come back and visit.