“Plagiarism hunter” Stefan Weber convicted of defamation

In January 2024, he is said to have defamed the rector of the University of Klagenfurt, Oliver Vitouch, in his blog. The rector then sued the Salzburg native under the Media Act and said at the start of the trial on May 23: “It was and is Weber’s interest to damage my reputation.”

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However, the verdict is not yet legally binding, the court spokeswoman told APA in the evening. The proceedings concerned statements that Weber made in connection with the dismissal of two German university professors in Klagenfurt in 2015 and 2017. In a blog post that is still available on his website, he asked whether the dismissals were a “show of power” by the rector.

Scientists are still fighting the consequences

He also wrote that the two colleagues are still struggling with the consequences of their dismissal, that they will never be able to get a foothold in science again and that one of the two women is suffering from health problems. “Vitouch has ruined both of them financially, reputationally, mentally and physically for the rest of their lives,” said Weber. Both scientists also stated that they had been persistently pursued by the rector for years and that even the smallest discrepancies in their statements were criticized.

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“These claims are false,” said Vitouch’s lawyer Maria Windhager. At the same time, Weber violated his journalistic duty of care in the blog because he did not give the rector the opportunity to comment. At the start of the proceedings, Vitouch himself spoke of an “unacceptable barrage of untruths and accusations.” The dismissals of the two professors were the result of complaints from employees, and the allegations were mobbing and bossing. He is a humanist, person of integrity and does not tend to demonstrate power.

Vitouch sees intent to cause harm

For him, the choice of words “ruined for life” already implies an intention to harm. For Vitouch, it was no coincidence that the blog post was published in January, when the hearing for the position of rector at the University of Klagenfurt took place. At the time, he was among the three candidates, but Ada Pellert, the rector of the German FernUniversität Hagen, ultimately won the race. She will take office on December 1, 2024. On Wednesday, Vitouch speculated again whether Weber might have acted on a payment order – which the latter denied and offered the judge to look at his income records relating to the incident as evidence.

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At the start of the proceedings, Weber’s lawyer Georg Zechbauer responded that the offence of defamation had not been committed. Weber was known for criticising malpractice at universities. The rector had not been accused of any crime. And that the two professors would suffer serious consequences as a result of their dismissal was “all true”.

“Different rules apply in my blog”

Weber himself said that he sees the blog as a kind of “whistleblower platform”. He takes the criticism that he has not complied with journalistic due diligence on his own shoulders. “Different rules apply in my blog.” His statement that the two women had been “ruined for life” by Vitouch was a tabloid-esque exaggeration.

An employee of the legal department of the University of Klagenfurt, who was called as a witness, said on Wednesday that the rector did not make it easy for himself when he dismissed the two professors. “And it was never his decision alone. The vice-rector was always involved in consultations and decisions.” She also said she had not experienced Vitouch persistently pursuing deviations: “On the contrary.”

In the run-up to the trial, Weber told journalists that he would continue to fight against university corruption, abuse of power and plagiarism, regardless of the court’s decision.