I don't know about newspapers in Switzerland, but self-checkout machines don't usually weigh items in France or Belgium either (or the Netherlands, if AH stores in Belgium are representative of those in the Netherlands) and these countries probably aren't as fetishised to be trustful as Switzerland seems to be.

In some models, you can just open the lid and take the newspaper if so inclined.

https://www.gettyimages.de/detail/foto/row-of-newspaper-vend...

> Trust like in Switzerland is a very rare thing in most countries

I’m in an Eastern European country and have the same machines in some supermarkets, no scales, no gates just scan the stuff and go.

That would’ve been unimaginable 15-30 years ago. Theft and violent crime rates were sky high. Having your home broken into or even getting mugged in broad daylight wasn’t that special (these days you have a high chance of getting a story in a national newspaper at least if you get mugged).

Of course it’s far from perfect and there are other issues that need to be solved. However under the right circumstances significant change is possible even during relatively short timeframes.

These are a thing in the United States, the country about which the article is written: https://l450v.alamy.com/450v/c8xnfn/usa-today-news-racks-new...