Weltwoche author before Zurich district court

Was it well-founded research or was it slander? Weltwoche author Philipp Gut speaks of a "watertight story" before the Zurich District Court. The other side calls it "unprecedentedly irresponsible journalism." The court will hand down the verdict on Friday afternoon. At issue: Starting in October 2014, Philipp Gut repeated his accusation several times in Weltwoche: history professor Philipp Sarasin allegedly helped his lover Svenja Goltermann get a professorship at his own research unit at the University of Zurich. During the appointment process, which lasted from 2009 to 2011, he had not stepped aside. Gut writes of "relationship corruption," of "nepotism," and of an "extreme case of bias." With these "untrue factual allegations," the deputy editor-in-chief of the weekly publication was guilty of defamation, the public prosecutor's office found.

Good does not name sources

However, Philipp Gut said in court that it was the duty of a journalist to investigate allegations. His series of articles was based on a large number of trustworthy sources from Sarasin's immediate environment. As expected, he did not name these sources in court. They feared for their jobs, for example, which is why they had to be protected, Gut stated. "Protection of sources goes beyond everything, even beyond a possible conviction." Gut's defense lawyer therefore demanded an acquittal, saying his client had "done nothing wrong." He had criticized after extended research that the rules of decency had been violated at the University of Zurich when filling a position.

Prosecutor speaks of invented story

For the prosecutor, however, there is no evidence that this was the case.He spoke of a fabricated story.Gut spoke of precise descriptions of his sources, but did not substantiate his claims with details. The Weltwoche author could not invoke source protection at all, found the lawyer for the two professors, who according to their own statements only became a couple in 2013, long after the appeal proceedings. "You can't invoke source protection to avoid responsibility for your own publications," the lawyer said. The prosecutor said it similarly: one cannot make defamatory statements and hide behind unnamed sources. The prosecutor demands a conditional fine of 240 daily sentences of 130 francs and a fine of 6000 francs. Gut's defense is demanding an acquittal. The court will open the verdict on Friday afternoon.

Image: Keystone