During my time as a reporter for “20 Minuten”, I was often sent to wherever breaking news were happening—both in Switzerland and abroad. My job was to get to the scene as fast as possible, talk to people involved, and get a real sense of the atmosphere to provide first-hand information for our audience.

These assignments were usually unpredictable. One moment I’d be in the newsroom, and the next, I was already in the car driving towards a disaster area or sitting on a plane to Los Angeles to cover the wildfires. I reported from the ground after a tornado devastaded La Chaux-de-Fonds, during landslides in the Swiss Alps, and covered events like floods in Germany, a nightclub fire killing 59 people in North Macedonia, or protests at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Below I share a few words on the assignments that have remained most strongly in my memory. Of course, among them is also my reporting from the U.S., which you can read more about here.

Tornado in La Chaux-de-Fonds

One of my first major assignments at “20 Minuten” was a storm in La Chaux-de-Fonds. When I left Zurich, all we knew was that something like a tornado had hit the area—a phenomenon that is almost unheard of in Switzerland. But after a 2.5-hour drive, I was completely unprepared for what I found.

The scale of the destruction was immense—something I had never seen before. Uprooted trees, overturned cars, collapsed cranes, and damaged buildings were everywhere. Even driving into the city was a challenge, as most roads were completely blocked by debris. While I was looking at different parts of the city and talking to residents, I also met a restaurant owner whose Thai restaurant was completely destroyed.

Nightclub fire in North Macedonia

This was one of the toughest assignments of my career—both emotionally and in terms of communication. A nightclub fire in a small North Macedonian town killed 59 young people. The whole town was in tears, everyone knew someone affected by the fire. Approaching people who were grieving took some effort—especially when I didn’t speak their language.

Nevertheless, some of the young people and parents of the victims opened up to me about what they were going through, and it was deeply moving to see the entire community gather to mourn together. But there was also a lot of anger. Thanks to tips from locals, I was on the front lines when protesters completely destroyed a café belonging to the club owner—witnessing this was another incredibly intense experience.

Tomorrowland: Fire at the main stage

A fire also broke out at the popular Tomorrowland in Belgium: Shortly before the festival began, the main stage burned down. Although no one was injured, the fire made international headlines because it was unclear whether the entire festival would be canceled. Without knowing what would happen to the festival, I flew to Belgium to capture the mood of the fans who had already arrived. But they refused to let the fire ruin their mood—especially once it was announced that the festival would proceed with a makeshift main stage built in record time.

My coverage quickly turned into a “good vibes” live blog, and I got to cover an amazing event that people wait years to get tickets for, experiencing firsthand how the fans kept the energy alive despite the chaotic start.

Mallorca: The struggle with overtourism

This wasn’t a breaking news assignment, but a planned weekend trip to Mallorca to report on overtourism. I traveled with two colleagues who were working on a video documentary, while I was out on my own running a live blog. Mallorca is hit extremely hard by this issue, and I wanted to see the impact firsthand.

My Spanish skills came in handy, when I talked to locals who can no longer find affordable housing and are fed up with rowdy behavior. Of course, I also interviewed tourists themselves—from the party scene at “Ballermann” to the center of Palma. The live blog was a great way to tackle a serious topic with lively and entertaining stories, keeping the readers engaged during a summer weekend, when there is usually very little news happening.