Vijesti
Encyclopedia
Vijesti is a Montenegrin
daily newspaper
.
The paper is published and managed by an entity called Daily Press d.o.o. - a limited liability company
based in Podgorica. The company's ownership is currently split between Montenegrin partners (59%), Austrian Styria Medien AG
(25%), and American fund MDLF
started by George Soros
(16%).
Published under the "nezavisni dnevnik" (independent daily) mantra, the paper's editorial policy was initially very much in favour of Milo Đukanović and his government's policies and of his relations with Serbia. However, this editorial policy changed sometime after the 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum when Vijesti turned into Đukanović's critics.
's company Montenegropublic, journalist Milka Tadić
, and Slavica Popović acting on the behalf of Podgorica Tobacco Factory director Dragoljub "Mićo" Dautović.
The paper was started on September 1, 1997 as only the second daily newspaper in Montenegro
at that point with the long running state-owned Pobjeda
being their only competition. Listed as the paper's owners were four individuals: Miodrag Perović
, Ljubiša Mitrović, Slavoljub Šćekić, and Željko Ivanović.
At the precise time of the paper's launch, the political situation in Montenegro was fairly tense as former longtime DPS
(ruling political party) allies Milo Đukanović and Momir Bulatović
were in the middle of a campaign for the 1997 presidential elections
. Montenegro, at the time a part of FR Yugoslavia (federal country that also consisted of Serbia
) was choosing between a pro-Milošević
leader in Bulatović, and Đukanović who at that time started to cautiously distance himself from his former mentor Milošević although he still favoured the idea of a unified country with Serbia. Vijesti openly supported Đukanović who eventually won the highly controversial elections and thus became the president of Montenegro
.
Vijesti generated plenty of criticism during the initial period from all sides of the political spectrum
in Montenegro. Pro-Serbian camp saw it as an aggressive proponent of Montenegro's separation from Serbia. On the other end, the pro-independence camp (especially members and sympathizers of LSCG
party) wasn't entirely happy with it either, criticizing the paper's pro-independence stance as being tailored for and by Đukanović's day to day political needs. Some have even claimed (most notably LSCG leader Slavko Perović
) that the initial funds for paper's launch were in fact provided by Đukanović who needed a seemingly independent media
support at a time when he was distancing himself from Milošević. Similar criticism came from journalist Nebojša Redžić who worked at Vijesti for six months - in 1999 he accused the individuals behind the newspaper of creating it "solely for the purposes of manipulating the electorate in Montenegro and steering the pro-independence voters towards Đukanović and DPS", referring to his own involvement in the paper's formation as the "biggest mistake in my career".
Although occasionally critical of Đukanović and DPS on minor municipal issues in the years to come, Vijesti firmly supported his government's policies on all the major issues such as the relations with Serbia. Furthermore, the paper ignored all the evidence and foreign reports of widespread tobacco and oil state-sponsored smuggling that took place in Montenegro under Đukanović as well as his involvement in Milošević's war efforts during the early 1990s.
with German media concern WAZ
, which bought a 50% stake in Vijesti. The amount was not disclosed. On March 15, 2003 at a ceremony attended by WAZ director Bodo Hombach
, the deal was officially inaugurated.http://www.mfa.gov.rs/Bilteni/Engleski/b170303_e.html
After the acquisition, the paper has slightly shifted its focus towards citizens' everyday problems.
, Vijesti was a moderate supporter of independence, but eventually fully joined the campaign by shipping traditional Montenegrin flags
, bracelets and caps with Montenegrin insignia used by pro-independence bloc, along with copies of the newspaper. Still, OSCE/ODIHR gave it the best marks among the all Montenegrin media for observing professional journalistic standards
during the referendum.
Since the referendum, Vijesti has switched in a more opposing view and is greatly criticizing the regime of Milo Đukanović and his Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS).
The portier of the newspaper, Luka Đukić, was threatened to quit under allegations that something bad will happen to his family, two suspects were arrested on Monday 3 September 2007.
Milo Đukanović in turn sued Ivanović for libel and the trial began in Podgorica on November 26, 2007 under the presiding judge
Nenad Otašević. Đukanović is represented at the trial by a legal team consisting of his sister Ana Kolarević and Dragoljub Đukanović, while Ivanović is represented by Branislav Lutovac and Milan Đukić.http://www.pressonline.rs/vest.jsp?id=24618
Vijesti was the first newspaper in Montenegro to publish books like a collection of 20th century authors (on the string of other European newspapers), an anthology of Montenegrin authors (in 2006) and Pečat umjetnosti (2007), an interesting (but not original) edition of the greatest painters.
, German media concern WAZ sold its stake in Vijesti to the other ownership party (four individuals).http://www.vijesti.me/naslovna.php?akcija=vijest&id=249364 In a vague public statement following the sudden decision, WAZ's representative Andreas Rudas said: "The weight of the past was too strong, and this had to be done".
Vijesti established its television division in October, 2007 and was launched throughout Montenegro on 11 May 2008.
In mid March 2009, Styria Medien AG
bought 25% in the Daily Press company that oversees the publishing of Vijesti.
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
daily newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
.
The paper is published and managed by an entity called Daily Press d.o.o. - a limited liability company
Limited liability company
A limited liability company is a flexible form of enterprise that blends elements of partnership and corporate structures. It is a legal form of company that provides limited liability to its owners in the vast majority of United States jurisdictions...
based in Podgorica. The company's ownership is currently split between Montenegrin partners (59%), Austrian Styria Medien AG
Styria (company)
The Styria Media Group AG, often referred to as just Styria, is an Austrian media company founded in 1869 and based in Graz. The company is one of the biggest media companies in Austria, Croatia and Slovenia, and is also present in several other countries...
(25%), and American fund MDLF
Media Development Loan Fund
Media Development Loan Fund is a New York-registered 501 non-profit corporation and investment fund that provides low-cost financing to independent news media in countries with a history of media oppression...
started by 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...
(16%).
Published under the "nezavisni dnevnik" (independent daily) mantra, the paper's editorial policy was initially very much in favour of Milo Đukanović and his government's policies and of his relations with Serbia. However, this editorial policy changed sometime after the 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum when Vijesti turned into Đukanović's critics.
History
The legal and financial entity behind the paper, Daily Press d.o.o. company, was founded on November 25, 1996 and registered on December 16, 1996. The company's founding capital of $5,000 was provided by three entities: Miodrag PerovićMiodrag Perović
Miodrag "Miško" Perović, PhD is a Montenegrin intellectual, journalist, media publisher, university professor, political activist, and businessman....
's company Montenegropublic, journalist Milka Tadić
Milka Tadic
Milka Tadić, or Milka Tadić-Mijović, is a political activist in Podgorica, Montenegro. She is the editor of The Monitor magazine, which has long supported opposition to Serbia and urged for independence for Montenegro.-External links:...
, and Slavica Popović acting on the behalf of Podgorica Tobacco Factory director Dragoljub "Mićo" Dautović.
The paper was started on September 1, 1997 as only the second daily newspaper in Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
at that point with the long running state-owned Pobjeda
Pobjeda
Pobjeda is a Montenegrin newspaper. Having been published for 66 years, it is the oldest Montenegrin newspaper still in circulation. It is the oldest Montenegrin active media, too....
being their only competition. Listed as the paper's owners were four individuals: Miodrag Perović
Miodrag Perović
Miodrag "Miško" Perović, PhD is a Montenegrin intellectual, journalist, media publisher, university professor, political activist, and businessman....
, Ljubiša Mitrović, Slavoljub Šćekić, and Željko Ivanović.
At the precise time of the paper's launch, the political situation in Montenegro was fairly tense as former longtime DPS
Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro
The Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro is the ruling social-democratic political party in Montenegro....
(ruling political party) allies Milo Đukanović and Momir Bulatović
Momir Bulatovic
Momir Bulatović , formerly served as a Yugoslavian and Montenegrin politician. Bulatović became federal President of Montenegro while Montenegro was part of a Yugoslav federation, and also Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
were in the middle of a campaign for the 1997 presidential elections
Montenegrin presidential election, 1997
Presidential elections were held in Montenegro in 1997.-I round:#Momir Bulatović: 147.610 - 47,44#Milo Đukanović: 145.348 - 46,71#Others: 13.534 - 4,35-II round:#Milo Đukanović: 174.745 - 50,79#Momir Bulatović: 169.257 - 49,20...
. Montenegro, at the time a part of FR Yugoslavia (federal country that also consisted of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
) was choosing between a pro-Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
leader in Bulatović, and Đukanović who at that time started to cautiously distance himself from his former mentor Milošević although he still favoured the idea of a unified country with Serbia. Vijesti openly supported Đukanović who eventually won the highly controversial elections and thus became the president of Montenegro
President of Montenegro
-Presidents of Montenegro:-See also:*President of Serbia and Montenegro*President of Yugoslavia*List of Presidents of Montenegro*Prime Minister of Montenegro-External links:*...
.
Vijesti generated plenty of criticism during the initial period from all sides of the political spectrum
Political spectrum
A political spectrum is a way of modeling different political positions by placing them upon one or more geometric axes symbolizing independent political dimensions....
in Montenegro. Pro-Serbian camp saw it as an aggressive proponent of Montenegro's separation from Serbia. On the other end, the pro-independence camp (especially members and sympathizers of LSCG
Liberal Alliance of Montenegro
The Liberal Alliance of Montenegro was a liberal political party in Montenegro. The party used to be a member of Liberal International....
party) wasn't entirely happy with it either, criticizing the paper's pro-independence stance as being tailored for and by Đukanović's day to day political needs. Some have even claimed (most notably LSCG leader Slavko Perović
Slavko Perovic
Slavko Perović , born on 2 August 1954, is a Montenegrin politician. He is best known as a co-founder and former leader of Liberal Alliance of Montenegro , former party that was fighting for independence of Montenegro and promoting liberalism in Montenegro throughout the 1990s and early...
) that the initial funds for paper's launch were in fact provided by Đukanović who needed a seemingly independent media
Alternative media
Alternative media are media which provide alternative information to the mainstream media in a given context, whether the mainstream media are commercial, publicly supported, or government-owned...
support at a time when he was distancing himself from Milošević. Similar criticism came from journalist Nebojša Redžić who worked at Vijesti for six months - in 1999 he accused the individuals behind the newspaper of creating it "solely for the purposes of manipulating the electorate in Montenegro and steering the pro-independence voters towards Đukanović and DPS", referring to his own involvement in the paper's formation as the "biggest mistake in my career".
Although occasionally critical of Đukanović and DPS on minor municipal issues in the years to come, Vijesti firmly supported his government's policies on all the major issues such as the relations with Serbia. Furthermore, the paper ignored all the evidence and foreign reports of widespread tobacco and oil state-sponsored smuggling that took place in Montenegro under Đukanović as well as his involvement in Milošević's war efforts during the early 1990s.
WAZ-Mediengruppe arrives
During May 2002, Vijesti announced a strategic partnershipStrategic partnership
A strategic partnership is a formal alliance between two commercial enterprises, usually formalized by one or more business contracts but falls short of forming a legal partnership or, agency, or corporate affiliate relationship....
with German media concern WAZ
WAZ-Mediengruppe
The WAZ-Mediengruppe is Germany's third largest newspaper and magazine publisher with a total of over 500 publications in eight countries. WAZ-Mediengruppe is privately held by the founders' families and is headquartered in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia.The group's largest paper is Westdeutsche...
, which bought a 50% stake in Vijesti. The amount was not disclosed. On March 15, 2003 at a ceremony attended by WAZ director Bodo Hombach
Bodo Hombach
Bodo Hombach , German politician, Member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany and now Publishing House Director, was also Head of the Federal Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Tasks in Schröder's first Cabinet from 1998 to 1999. Hombach then changed jobs and became EU Special...
, the deal was officially inaugurated.http://www.mfa.gov.rs/Bilteni/Engleski/b170303_e.html
After the acquisition, the paper has slightly shifted its focus towards citizens' everyday problems.
2006 Montenegrin independence referendum
In the dawn of 2006 Montenegrin independence referendumMontenegrin independence referendum, 2006
The Montenegrin independence referendum was a referendum on the independence of the Republic of Montenegro from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro that was held on 21 May 2006.The total turnout of the referendum was 86.5%...
, Vijesti was a moderate supporter of independence, but eventually fully joined the campaign by shipping traditional Montenegrin flags
Flag of Montenegro
The flag of Montenegro was officially adopted with the Law on the state symbols and the statehood day of Montenegro on 13 July 2004 at the proposal of the government of Montenegro. It was constitutionally sanctioned with the proclamation of the Constitution on 22 October 2007...
, bracelets and caps with Montenegrin insignia used by pro-independence bloc, along with copies of the newspaper. Still, OSCE/ODIHR gave it the best marks among the all Montenegrin media for observing professional journalistic standards
Journalism ethics and standards
Journalism ethics and standards comprise principles of ethics and of good practice as applicable to the specific challenges faced by journalists. Historically and currently, this subset of media ethics is widely known to journalists as their professional "code of ethics" or the "canons of journalism"...
during the referendum.
Since the referendum, Vijesti has switched in a more opposing view and is greatly criticizing the regime of Milo Đukanović and his Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS).
The portier of the newspaper, Luka Đukić, was threatened to quit under allegations that something bad will happen to his family, two suspects were arrested on Monday 3 September 2007.
Ivanović assaulted
On Saturday, September 1, 2007, at around 4am, Vijesti director Željko Ivanović was approached on the street near Ribnica restaurant and severely beaten by three men, two of whom were masked. As he was being attended to in the hospital, Ivanović publicly accused DPS president Milo Đukanović's "biological or criminal family" for orchestrating the attack in an attempt to "..destroy the very last fringes of journalist freedom". Ivanović also referred to them as the people who want to control every aspect of life in Montenegro.Milo Đukanović in turn sued Ivanović for libel and the trial began in Podgorica on November 26, 2007 under the presiding judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
Nenad Otašević. Đukanović is represented at the trial by a legal team consisting of his sister Ana Kolarević and Dragoljub Đukanović, while Ivanović is represented by Branislav Lutovac and Milan Đukić.http://www.pressonline.rs/vest.jsp?id=24618
Vijesti was the first newspaper in Montenegro to publish books like a collection of 20th century authors (on the string of other European newspapers), an anthology of Montenegrin authors (in 2006) and Pečat umjetnosti (2007), an interesting (but not original) edition of the greatest painters.
WAZ leaves
In early October 2007, after four-and-a-half years of co-ownershipOwnership
Ownership is the state or fact of exclusive rights and control over property, which may be an object, land/real estate or intellectual property. Ownership involves multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different parties. The concept of ownership has...
, German media concern WAZ sold its stake in Vijesti to the other ownership party (four individuals).http://www.vijesti.me/naslovna.php?akcija=vijest&id=249364 In a vague public statement following the sudden decision, WAZ's representative Andreas Rudas said: "The weight of the past was too strong, and this had to be done".
Vijesti established its television division in October, 2007 and was launched throughout Montenegro on 11 May 2008.
In mid March 2009, Styria Medien AG
Styria (company)
The Styria Media Group AG, often referred to as just Styria, is an Austrian media company founded in 1869 and based in Graz. The company is one of the biggest media companies in Austria, Croatia and Slovenia, and is also present in several other countries...
bought 25% in the Daily Press company that oversees the publishing of Vijesti.