• Science journalism is more important than ever. Our world is becoming increasingly complex: technological innovations and artificial intelligence, advances in medicine and healthcare, demographic aging, and climate change all affect our daily lives. Without independent, critical, and well-founded science journalism, the necessary contextualization of rapid developments in society, science, and technology is lost. Reducing complexity and making it understandable to the general public requires time, resources, and expertise—something only skilled science journalists can provide.
• Science journalism is a core responsibility of public service media. According to the Swiss Constitution, radio and television must contribute to education and independent opinion formation. A fundamental pillar of this service to society is the competent interpretation and critical scrutiny of scientific findings. At a time when private media companies in Switzerland are cutting back on science reporting, SRF bears a special responsibility: only public broadcasting can ensure that scientific knowledge does not disappear from reporting due to economic constraints.
• Science journalism is essential for a functioning democracy—especially in direct-democratic Switzerland. Weakening high-quality science reporting creates space for misinformation, conspiracy theories, and, ultimately, further polarization of society. Verified knowledge must be presented in an accessible and critical manner and made available to as many people as possible—only in this way can a shared foundation for fact-based debates and political decision-making emerge. Communicating complex scientific topics has long been one of SRF’s strengths, and it must be preserved.

Cutting back on science journalism is the wrong place to save. We urge you not to abandon SRF’s journalistic strengths—particularly its in-depth coverage of science, research, and technology—and to reconsider your decision to make painful cuts in this field.

Initial Signatories (in alphabetical order)

Prof. Dr. Martin Ackermann, Eawag, ETH Zurich, EPFL
Prof. em. Dr. Kathrin Altwegg, University of Bern
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Bonhoeffer, ETH Zurich, Collegium Helveticum
Prof. em. Dr. Gerd Folkers, ETH Zurich
Prof. Dr. Matthias Egger, University of Bern
Prof. Dr. Caspar Hirschi, University of St. Gallen
Prof. Dr. Emma Hodcroft, University of Basel, Swiss TPH
Prof. Dr. Karin Ingold, University of Bern
Prof. em. Dr. Otfried Jarren, University of Zurich
Prof. Dr. Oskar Jenni, University of Zurich
Prof. Dr. Reto Knutti, ETH Zurich
Prof. Dr. Katharina Lobinger, USI
Prof. Dr. Alexander Mathis, EPFL
Prof. Dr. Mackenzie Mathis, EPFL
Prof. Dr. Didier Queloz, University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich
Prof. Dr. Mike S. Schäfer, University of Zurich
Prof. Dr. Sonia Seneviratne, ETH Zurich
Prof. Dr. Roland Siegwart, ETH Zurich
Prof. Dr. Tanja Stadler, ETH Zurich
Prof. em. Dr. Thomas Stocker, University of Bern

For further inquiries, please contact Reto Knutti (reto.knutti@env.ethz.ch) or Mike Schäfer (m.schaefer@ikmz.uzh.ch).

Thank you for your support.
Concerned Scientists from Swiss Universities, Zurich