Swiss journalism icon took his own life 25 years ago

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Meienberg defending himself at a news conference in 1975 against allegations by the government of manipulation and distorting historical facts in the film script for a documentary on a convicted traitor during the Second World War, 'Die Erschiessung des Landesverräters Ernst S'." (Photopress Archiv) PHOTOPRESS-ARCHIV

Roger Schawinski (right), the founder of Radio 24, an illegal commercial radio station, and Meienberg take part in a panel discussion at the Rote Fabrik in Zurich in 1976. (Keystone) Keystone

Sitting on the rooftop terrace of the self-government youth centre in Zurich with like-minded supporters of the AJZ in 1981. (Gertrud Vogler/Schweizerisches Sozialarchiv) SOZARCHIV

At a public reading in Zurich in 1983 of his collection of reportages, 'Vorspiegelungen wahrer Tatsachen' (Under false pretences). (Niklaus Stauss/Keystone) Keystone

One of the leading Swiss authors, Friedrich Dürrenmatt (right) at a diner in 1986 to celebrate his 65th anniversary at the Kronenhalle restautant in Zurich. Meienberg (left) and other guests at the table listen attentively. (Niklaus Stauss/Keystone) Keystone

Meienberg and the editor of the Blick tabloid newspaper (left) at a press event during manoeuvres of the Swiss militia army outside Zurich in 1986." (Keystone) Keystone

Meienberg during a discussion about his book 'Demokratie und Selbstjustiz' (Democracy and street justice) in 1992. (Niklaus Stauss/Keystone) Keystone

In 1993, Meienberg was among the participants of a mass demonstration in Zurich protesting against a decision by the Swiss parliament not to elect the Social Democrat candidate Christiane Brunner to the government. (Keystone) Keystone

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Swiss journalist and intellectual Niklaus Meienberg, who was particularly well respected in German-speaking Switzerland, ended his own life 25 years ago.  

After studying history at the University of Fribourg and Zurich, Niklaus Meienberg became a journalist. He went first to Paris, where he covered the start of May 1968 events and the rise of the French politician François Mitterrand.

His Paris years helped to seal his reputation. Meienberg’s articles, which were popular with the public, appeared in leading newspapers such as Weltwoche, Tages-Anzeiger and Ostschweiz.

Returning to Switzerland, he became a real icon of journalism thanks to his reporting. But he was deliberately controversial, also making enemies by attacking the establishment. This is the case, for example, with his damning portrait of the reigning prince of Liechtenstein or of Ulrich Wille, the general who led the Swiss army during the First World War.

His polemic writing meant that he was no longer published by the Tages-Anzeiger. And so he continued his career as a freelance journalist, regularly selling articles to different publications, including the weeklies WochenZeitung” and Weltwoche.

Meienberg was renowned not only for the content of his articles, but also for the beauty of his writing. But the star of journalism also had a dark side, being accused of narcissism and investigation methods that were sometimes rather brutal.

Highly sensitive, Meienberg coped badly with the 1990s and the upheaval in values that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. Suffering from financial and health problems, he committed suicide in September 1993 at the age of 53.

Translated from French and German; jc/ug