Feral Tribune
Encyclopedia
Feral Tribune was a Croatian
political
weekly magazine. Based in Split, it first started as a political satire
supplement in Nedjeljna Dalmacija
(the Sunday edition of the Slobodna Dalmacija
daily newspaper) before evolving into an independent satirical weekly paper in 1993. In the 2000s it turned into into a popular political weekly before it finally ceased publication in June 2008.
The magazine, whose name was a play on Herald Tribune
(see below), and which billed itself as a "weekly magazine for Croatian anarchists, protesters and heretics", commonly included a provocative satirical photomontage
on the cover page, a short news section (titled "Informbiro
"), editorials, interviews, a satirical section (titled "Feral Tromblon"), and sections on music, books and the Internet.
Another popular section, titled "Greatest Shits", included a collection of ludicrous statements made in the Croatian media by politicians and other public figures in the previous week. The magazine typically had between 50 and 100 pages in total. It was originally printed in black and white, later changed to full color glossy paper, but then reverted to black and white. In 1994 Feral Tribune also launched a book publishing department which published a series of works by renowned contemporary authors and intellectuals from ex-Yugoslav countries, such as Arsen Dedić
, Slavenka Drakulić
, Milan Kangrga
, Mirko Kovač
, Izet Sarajlić
and Nenad Veličković
, foreign writers such as Isaiah Berlin
, Norberto Bobbio
, Leonard Cohen
and George Soros
, as well as works by their in-house columnists such as Boris Dežulović
and Viktor Ivančić
.
Although the magazine was hugely popular in the 1990s and had received a number of international awards during the period, its circulation gradually declined in the 2000s. Following a series of financial difficulties and failed takeover negotiations with Europapress Holding
, the magazine was forced to cease publication in 2008 and published its final issue on 19 June 2008. In March 2010 a digital archive of all articles ever published in Feral Tribune was published in the form of a four-disc DVD set.
. "Feral", in Dalmatian dialect, represents a petroleum or gas lamp, typically used on night fishing excursions. Dalmatian culture has a very intimate connection to the sea, and the term Feral is often used as the name of local sport clubs, performing groups etc... While the term "feral" typically refers to qualities associated with a wild or undomesticated animal in English, it is unlikely that the Croatian-speaking editors chose the title Feral for its meaning in English. On the other hand, it is quite possible that the editorial office enjoyed the double entendre
that it elicited among foreign observers, giving the newspaper title an aura of its editorial independence and unwillingness to be tamed by political pressure.
The paper was founded in 1984 by a trio of young journalists Viktor Ivančić
, Predrag Lucić, and Boris Dežulović
. The trio named itself by combining letters in their names to form "VIVA LUDEŽ", meaning "long live madness". Their works appeared in weekly humour supplement of Split daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija
, as well as weekly newspaper Nedjeljna Dalmacija
. Some of its saucier articles brought public condemnation from local Party officials, as well as criminal proceedings which ended with the arrival of democracy. Some of VIVA LUDEŽ members were also active in Omladinska Iskra, Split magazine published by local organisation of Socialist Youth League
.
Feral received little attention until Yugoslavia
broke apart in the early 1990s. Due to the change in the political system
, there was nationwide confusion on many issues at the time. "Financial engineering", corruption
, and the renewed independence
resulted in changes in the government
, a burst of patriotism
, nationalism
, and xenophobia
. As a political satire paper, the Feral Tribune was provided significant material from the warmonger
ing and profiteering
associated with the era.
As the political situation got more and more serious and the country was at the threat of occupation
, the contents of Feral Tribune steered away from pure satire
and the editors began criticizing dominant political figures. The government took over Slobodna Dalmacija
in early 1993. A few months later, the Feral Tribune was introduced as an independent paper.
Feral was among the first Croatian newspapers to openly report on various topics that the state-controlled newspapers would not report on including war crimes perpetrated by Croatian soldiers, the Croatian army's involvement in the war in Bosnia
, Franjo Tuđman's opinions of the Ustaše
in the context of generic Croatian nationalism, the Herzegovina profiteer lobby
, connections between the government and the Catholic Church, etc.
An important moment in the history of the magazine involved a cover page featuring digitally altered images of Tuđman and Milošević as homosexual lovers as an attack on policies leading to division of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
In 1994, a 50% sales tax typically imposed on pornographic magazines was imposed on the Feral by the HDZ government. This tax received criticism and in 1995 the Constitutional Court
(Ustavni sud) overturned that decision. In 1996, HDZ passed a law under which public criticism of the highest officials was punishable. The Feral's editors were among the first to receive lawsuits for defamation.
Despite these issues, Feral Tribune continued to survive in part because of donations from abroad.
Franjo Tuđman died in 1999 and his party was voted out of power on 2000 parliamentary elections
. The magazine also encountered other problems - the loss of Tuđman, who was its most iconic target, left many of the authors without inspiration and the quality of humour decreased. Attempts to replace Tuđman's role with George W. Bush
also led to the magazine embracing a stronger ideological profile and promoting radical left
views which alienated some of its old readers and allowed other Croatian weeklies, most notably Globus
and Nacional
to rise in their relative popularity. Feral was also affected by personnel changes with the departure of one of its founders.
While the magazine's circulation and influence were limited by these factors, the Feral Tribune continued to maintain a strong critical approach to the government. It criticised Račan for his unwillingness to distance himself from Tuđman's legacy and exposed corruption scandals related to his government. In 2003, after the return of HDZ, the Feral Tribune began to see a resurgence in popularity.
In December 2005, Drago Hedl
, the paper's editor, received an anonymous death threat by mail, for his reporting on the abduction and murder of ethnic Serb civilians in Osijek in 1991 and 1992. This year, the International Center for Journalists is awarding Hedl a Knight International Award for excellence in journalism.
debt, and that several court rulings against Feral Tribune have imposed additional strain on their accounts. The editorial staff accused the Croatian government of favoring governmental and nationalist media by writing off their VAT debts, thus creating an unfair competition to Feral. The finance ministry’s decision to freeze the weekly’s bank accounts was widely condemned in Croatia.
Croatian officials, including the President Stjepan Mesić
and the Prime Minister Ivo Sanader
both pledged help to Feral Tribune, both acclaiming it as a contributor to the development of democracy in Croatia, but no help was actually offered. http://feral.mediaturtle.com/look/weekly1/article.tpl?IdLanguage=7&IdPublication=1&NrArticle=16132&NrIssue=1134&NrSection=1
On June 28, 2007, Feral Tribune was again published and it was reported that due to financial difficulties Feral Tribune was to be bought by Europa Press Holding (EPH), the largest publisher in Croatia (Globus, Jutarnji list) provoking speculation regarding the future of Feral's independence. However, in June 2008, since Europa Press Holding (EPH) officials started avoiding Feral's officials in takeover negotiations, Feral Tribune editors announced the end of the magazine. After 15 years, and numerous lawsuits from politicians, editors cited financial troubles due to lack of funding and the failure of negotiations with Europa Press Holding as the causes.
Throughout its entire history, Feral journalists investigated and issued articles on numerous political and financial scams, court jamming, war crimes, government corruption and many other law infractions. This policy brought them many enemies in political and financial centers of power. Even in the last 2-3 editions, Feral brought 5 new scandals to light which no other newspaper or TV stations were allowed to speak about. For this part of Europe, that is quite common, since most of the media are owned by few strong publishers who are closely connected with politicians.
All this has brought Feral into an interesting situation. They were issuing newspapers without advertisements. No company in Croatia was interested in advertising themselves in Feral Tribune due to strong bans from most Croatian political parties. Each company that tried to advertise in Feral Tribune was threatened with financial inspections and closure of their business and cooperation with other companies.
So, Feral was faced to cover their expenses with income made by selling their newspaper. Even though Feral had good sales percentages, today it is almost impossible to finance newspapers without the income of advertisers and that brought Feral deep financial troubles.
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
political
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
weekly magazine. Based in Split, it first started as a political satire
Political satire
Political satire is a significant part of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly...
supplement in Nedjeljna Dalmacija
Nedjeljna Dalmacija
Nedjeljna Dalmacija is now defunct Yugoslavian regional weekly newspaper based in Croatia, published in the cities of Split and Zagreb.Nedjeljna Dalmacija started as special weekly edition of Split daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija in 1970s...
(the Sunday edition of the Slobodna Dalmacija
Slobodna Dalmacija
Slobodna Dalmacija is a Croatian daily newspaper published in Split.The first issue of Slobodna Dalmacija was published on June 17, 1943 by Tito's Partisans in a cave on Mosor, a mountain near Split, which was occupied by the Italian army during that time. The paper was later published in various...
daily newspaper) before evolving into an independent satirical weekly paper in 1993. In the 2000s it turned into into a popular political weekly before it finally ceased publication in June 2008.
The magazine, whose name was a play on Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
(see below), and which billed itself as a "weekly magazine for Croatian anarchists, protesters and heretics", commonly included a provocative satirical photomontage
Photo manipulation
Photo manipulation is the application of image editing techniques to photographs in order to create an illusion or deception , through analog or digital means.- Types of digital photo manipulation :...
on the cover page, a short news section (titled "Informbiro
Informbiro
Informbiro was a period in the history of Yugoslavia characterized by conflict and schism with the Soviet Union...
"), editorials, interviews, a satirical section (titled "Feral Tromblon"), and sections on music, books and the Internet.
Another popular section, titled "Greatest Shits", included a collection of ludicrous statements made in the Croatian media by politicians and other public figures in the previous week. The magazine typically had between 50 and 100 pages in total. It was originally printed in black and white, later changed to full color glossy paper, but then reverted to black and white. In 1994 Feral Tribune also launched a book publishing department which published a series of works by renowned contemporary authors and intellectuals from ex-Yugoslav countries, such as Arsen Dedić
Arsen Dedic
Arsen Dedić is a Croatian singer-songwriter who has been prominent in the Croatian as well as former Yugoslav music scene. Dedić writes and performs chansons as well as film music...
, Slavenka Drakulić
Slavenka Drakulic
Slavenka Drakulić is a noted Croatian writer and publicist who currently lives in Sweden.Slavenka Drakulić was born in Rijeka, PR Croatia, on July 4, 1949. She graduated in comparative literature and sociology from the University in Zagreb in 1976...
, Milan Kangrga
Milan Kangrga
Milan Kangrga was a Croatian and Yugoslav philosopher who was one of the leading thinkers in the Praxis school of thought which originated in the 1960s in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
, Mirko Kovač
Mirko Kovac (writer)
Mirko Kovač is a Montenegrin, Croatian, and Serbian writer....
, Izet Sarajlić
Izet Sarajlic
Izet Sarajlić was a Bosnian historian of philosophy, essayist, translator and poet. Sarajlić was Bosnia and Herzegovina's best-known poet after World War II, and the former Yugoslavia's most widely translated poet....
and Nenad Veličković
Nenad Velickovic
Nenad Veličković is a prose writer and playwright from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He lives in Sarajevo.-External links:**...
, foreign writers such as Isaiah Berlin
Isaiah Berlin
Sir Isaiah Berlin OM, FBA was a British social and political theorist, philosopher and historian of ideas of Russian-Jewish origin, regarded as one of the leading thinkers of the twentieth century and a dominant liberal scholar of his generation...
, Norberto Bobbio
Norberto Bobbio
Norberto Bobbio was an Italian philosopher of law and political sciences and a historian of political thought. He also wrote regularly for the Turin-based daily La Stampa....
, Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
and George Soros
George Soros
George Soros is a Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, philosopher, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Soros Fund Management. Soros supports progressive-liberal causes...
, as well as works by their in-house columnists such as Boris Dežulović
Boris Dežulovic
Boris Dežulović is a Croatian journalist and writer, best known as one of the founders of the now defunct satirical magazine Feral Tribune.Dežulović studied art history at the University of Split....
and Viktor Ivančić
Viktor Ivancic
Viktor Ivančić is a Croatian journalist, best known as the founding member and long-time editor-in-chief of satirical weekly Feral Tribune....
.
Although the magazine was hugely popular in the 1990s and had received a number of international awards during the period, its circulation gradually declined in the 2000s. Following a series of financial difficulties and failed takeover negotiations with Europapress Holding
Europapress holding
Europapress Holding is the leading media company in Croatia and Southeast Europe, with 5 daily newspapers and more than 30 magazines. According to Media Market Monitor, it is the largest and fastest growing private media company in Southeast Europe...
, the magazine was forced to cease publication in 2008 and published its final issue on 19 June 2008. In March 2010 a digital archive of all articles ever published in Feral Tribune was published in the form of a four-disc DVD set.
History
Feral Tribune's name is likely a play on Herald TribuneInternational Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
. "Feral", in Dalmatian dialect, represents a petroleum or gas lamp, typically used on night fishing excursions. Dalmatian culture has a very intimate connection to the sea, and the term Feral is often used as the name of local sport clubs, performing groups etc... While the term "feral" typically refers to qualities associated with a wild or undomesticated animal in English, it is unlikely that the Croatian-speaking editors chose the title Feral for its meaning in English. On the other hand, it is quite possible that the editorial office enjoyed the double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
that it elicited among foreign observers, giving the newspaper title an aura of its editorial independence and unwillingness to be tamed by political pressure.
The paper was founded in 1984 by a trio of young journalists Viktor Ivančić
Viktor Ivancic
Viktor Ivančić is a Croatian journalist, best known as the founding member and long-time editor-in-chief of satirical weekly Feral Tribune....
, Predrag Lucić, and Boris Dežulović
Boris Dežulovic
Boris Dežulović is a Croatian journalist and writer, best known as one of the founders of the now defunct satirical magazine Feral Tribune.Dežulović studied art history at the University of Split....
. The trio named itself by combining letters in their names to form "VIVA LUDEŽ", meaning "long live madness". Their works appeared in weekly humour supplement of Split daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija
Slobodna Dalmacija
Slobodna Dalmacija is a Croatian daily newspaper published in Split.The first issue of Slobodna Dalmacija was published on June 17, 1943 by Tito's Partisans in a cave on Mosor, a mountain near Split, which was occupied by the Italian army during that time. The paper was later published in various...
, as well as weekly newspaper Nedjeljna Dalmacija
Nedjeljna Dalmacija
Nedjeljna Dalmacija is now defunct Yugoslavian regional weekly newspaper based in Croatia, published in the cities of Split and Zagreb.Nedjeljna Dalmacija started as special weekly edition of Split daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija in 1970s...
. Some of its saucier articles brought public condemnation from local Party officials, as well as criminal proceedings which ended with the arrival of democracy. Some of VIVA LUDEŽ members were also active in Omladinska Iskra, Split magazine published by local organisation of Socialist Youth League
Socialist Youth (Croatia)
Young Socialists of Croatia is a left-wing youth organization in Croatia. It was formed in 1998 and is the largest socialist youth organization in Croatia.An elected member of the Young Socialists sits in the Presidency of Socialist Labour Party of Croatia....
.
Feral received little attention until Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
broke apart in the early 1990s. Due to the change in the political system
Political system
A political system is a system of politics and government. It is usually compared to the legal system, economic system, cultural system, and other social systems...
, there was nationwide confusion on many issues at the time. "Financial engineering", corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
, and the renewed independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
resulted in changes in the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, a burst of patriotism
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
, nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
, and xenophobia
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
. As a political satire paper, the Feral Tribune was provided significant material from the warmonger
Warmonger
A warmonger is a pejorative term that is used to describe someone who is eager to encourage a people or nation to go to war.The term may also refer to:* Warmonger, a 2002 novel based on the Doctor Who television series...
ing and profiteering
War profiteering
A war profiteer is any person or organization that profits from warfare or by selling weapons and other goods to parties at war. The term has strong negative connotations. General profiteering may also occur in peace time.-International arms dealers:...
associated with the era.
As the political situation got more and more serious and the country was at the threat of occupation
Military occupation
Military occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory passes to a hostile army. The territory then becomes occupied territory.-Military occupation and the laws of war:...
, the contents of Feral Tribune steered away from pure satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
and the editors began criticizing dominant political figures. The government took over Slobodna Dalmacija
Slobodna Dalmacija
Slobodna Dalmacija is a Croatian daily newspaper published in Split.The first issue of Slobodna Dalmacija was published on June 17, 1943 by Tito's Partisans in a cave on Mosor, a mountain near Split, which was occupied by the Italian army during that time. The paper was later published in various...
in early 1993. A few months later, the Feral Tribune was introduced as an independent paper.
Feral was among the first Croatian newspapers to openly report on various topics that the state-controlled newspapers would not report on including war crimes perpetrated by Croatian soldiers, the Croatian army's involvement in the war in Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, Franjo Tuđman's opinions of the Ustaše
Ustaše
The Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement was a Croatian fascist anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was a blend of fascism, Nazism, and Croatian nationalism. The Ustaše supported the creation of a Greater Croatia that would span to the River Drina and to the border...
in the context of generic Croatian nationalism, the Herzegovina profiteer lobby
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
, connections between the government and the Catholic Church, etc.
An important moment in the history of the magazine involved a cover page featuring digitally altered images of Tuđman and Milošević as homosexual lovers as an attack on policies leading to division of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
In 1994, a 50% sales tax typically imposed on pornographic magazines was imposed on the Feral by the HDZ government. This tax received criticism and in 1995 the Constitutional Court
Croatian Constitutional Court
Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia is the interpreter and guardian of the Croatian Constitution and considered the highest judicial authority de facto, because it can overturn Supreme Court decisions on the basis of constitutional breaches...
(Ustavni sud) overturned that decision. In 1996, HDZ passed a law under which public criticism of the highest officials was punishable. The Feral's editors were among the first to receive lawsuits for defamation.
Despite these issues, Feral Tribune continued to survive in part because of donations from abroad.
Franjo Tuđman died in 1999 and his party was voted out of power on 2000 parliamentary elections
Croatian parliamentary election, 2000
Elections for the Chamber of Representatives of the Croatian Parliament were held on January 3, 2000. These were the first elections to be held after the expiration of a full term of the previous Chamber....
. The magazine also encountered other problems - the loss of Tuđman, who was its most iconic target, left many of the authors without inspiration and the quality of humour decreased. Attempts to replace Tuđman's role with George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
also led to the magazine embracing a stronger ideological profile and promoting radical left
Far left
Far left, also known as the revolutionary left, radical left and extreme left are terms which refer to the highest degree of leftist positions among left-wing politics...
views which alienated some of its old readers and allowed other Croatian weeklies, most notably Globus
Globus (weekly)
Globus is a Croatian weekly news magazine published in Zagreb.The magazine was started in 1990, having some of its first issues published during the Croatian War of Independence. Originally devised as tabloid, it never took an openly chauvinist approach of Slobodni tjednik and always tried to give...
and Nacional
Nacional (weekly)
Nacional is a Croatian weekly newsmagazine published in Zagreb.-History:Nacional was started in 1995 by Denis Kuljiš, Ivo Pukanić and other journalists dissatisfied with the editorial policies of Croatian weekly newspaper Globus. Both publications were hostile to the ruling HDZ government...
to rise in their relative popularity. Feral was also affected by personnel changes with the departure of one of its founders.
While the magazine's circulation and influence were limited by these factors, the Feral Tribune continued to maintain a strong critical approach to the government. It criticised Račan for his unwillingness to distance himself from Tuđman's legacy and exposed corruption scandals related to his government. In 2003, after the return of HDZ, the Feral Tribune began to see a resurgence in popularity.
In December 2005, Drago Hedl
Drago Hedl
Drago Hedl is a Croatian investigative journalist.Drago Hedl was born in Osijek. He graduated in literature in Zagreb University, and became a professional journalist in 1980....
, the paper's editor, received an anonymous death threat by mail, for his reporting on the abduction and murder of ethnic Serb civilians in Osijek in 1991 and 1992. This year, the International Center for Journalists is awarding Hedl a Knight International Award for excellence in journalism.
Financial troubles and closure
In June 2007, Feral Tribune missed two weekly issues due to financial problems. The editorial staff announced that their bank accounts have been blocked due to a VATVat
Vat or VAT may refer to:* A type of container such as a barrel, storage tank, or tub, often constructed of welded sheet stainless steel, and used for holding, storing, and processing liquids such as milk, wine, and beer...
debt, and that several court rulings against Feral Tribune have imposed additional strain on their accounts. The editorial staff accused the Croatian government of favoring governmental and nationalist media by writing off their VAT debts, thus creating an unfair competition to Feral. The finance ministry’s decision to freeze the weekly’s bank accounts was widely condemned in Croatia.
Croatian officials, including the President Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić is a Croatian politician and former President of Croatia. Before his ten-year presidential term between 2000 and 2010 he held the posts of Speaker of the Croatian Parliament , Prime Minister of Croatia , the last President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia , Secretary General...
and the Prime Minister Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader |Split]]) is a Croatian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Croatia from 2003 to 2009.Sanader obtained his education in comparative literature in Austria, where he also later worked in the 1980s. He worked as a journalist, in marketing, publishing and also as a private...
both pledged help to Feral Tribune, both acclaiming it as a contributor to the development of democracy in Croatia, but no help was actually offered. http://feral.mediaturtle.com/look/weekly1/article.tpl?IdLanguage=7&IdPublication=1&NrArticle=16132&NrIssue=1134&NrSection=1
On June 28, 2007, Feral Tribune was again published and it was reported that due to financial difficulties Feral Tribune was to be bought by Europa Press Holding (EPH), the largest publisher in Croatia (Globus, Jutarnji list) provoking speculation regarding the future of Feral's independence. However, in June 2008, since Europa Press Holding (EPH) officials started avoiding Feral's officials in takeover negotiations, Feral Tribune editors announced the end of the magazine. After 15 years, and numerous lawsuits from politicians, editors cited financial troubles due to lack of funding and the failure of negotiations with Europa Press Holding as the causes.
Throughout its entire history, Feral journalists investigated and issued articles on numerous political and financial scams, court jamming, war crimes, government corruption and many other law infractions. This policy brought them many enemies in political and financial centers of power. Even in the last 2-3 editions, Feral brought 5 new scandals to light which no other newspaper or TV stations were allowed to speak about. For this part of Europe, that is quite common, since most of the media are owned by few strong publishers who are closely connected with politicians.
All this has brought Feral into an interesting situation. They were issuing newspapers without advertisements. No company in Croatia was interested in advertising themselves in Feral Tribune due to strong bans from most Croatian political parties. Each company that tried to advertise in Feral Tribune was threatened with financial inspections and closure of their business and cooperation with other companies.
So, Feral was faced to cover their expenses with income made by selling their newspaper. Even though Feral had good sales percentages, today it is almost impossible to finance newspapers without the income of advertisers and that brought Feral deep financial troubles.
Awards
Feral had won several important awards over the years:- In 1992 it received Veselko Tenžera's award and the Stefanel award.
- In 1996 it won International Press Directory's award for freedom of the pressFreedom of the pressFreedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
. - In 1997 it won the World Association of NewspapersWorld Association of NewspapersThe World Association of Newspapers is a non-profit, non-governmental organization made up of 76 national newspaper associations, 12 news agencies, 10 regional press organisations and individual newspaper executives in 100 countries...
' Golden Pen of Freedom, and an International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect JournalistsCommittee to Protect JournalistsThe Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent nonprofit organisation based in New York City that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.-History:A group of U.S...
. - In 1998 it received an award for the best political satire newspaper in the world, at the International fair of political satire in Forte dei MarmiForte dei MarmiForte dei Marmi is a sea town and comune in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany . It is the birthplace of Paola Ruffo di Calabria, Queen of the Belgians....
.
Quotes
- Weekly journal of Croatian anarchists, Protestants and heretics
- God likes them, but Devil doesn't dislike them, either.
- Feral Tribune is owned by those who write and read it.