[1] Prior to the 18th century, the Swiss press market was small, being limited to the elites who were literate, though development varied by region and language.
The authorities of the Cantons of Switzerland also censored the press, which mostly prevented newspapers from reporting many aspects of local and confederal news.
This was achieved during the restoration period, after which a politically active press became present in all the linguistic regions of the country.
[3] The leading Francophone papers in Switzerland are the 24 heures, Tribune de Genève, La Liberté, and Le Temps.
[3] Prior to 1830, the press was limited, largely due to government censorship which made covering political topics difficult.
[2] Journalism in Ticino declined during the period of Napoleon's rule, due to French influence and suppression.
[2] Romansh language press has only existed since the 19th century, with the singular exception of the Gazetta ordinaria da Scuol [de; rm] paper, founded in 1700.