Evenimentul Zilei
Encyclopedia
Evenimentul Zilei is one of the leading newspaper
s in Romania
. Based in Bucharest
, the Romanian-language
daily has a paid daily circulation of 110,000. Its name means "The event of the day".
It was founded by Ion Cristoiu
, Cornel Nistorescu
and Mihai Cârciog and the first issue was published on 22 June 1992.
In those early years of Romanian journalism after the fall of Communism
, many of the stories in the Romanian newspapers (even the serious ones) were actually made up. Evenimentul Zilei also had its share of bizarre stories, such as reports of "smuggling of headless cats".
However, the most famous episode was a series of articles regarding a hen which gave birth to a live chicken. The original article was published on 2 October 1993. As many readers were interested in more details, Evenimentul Zilei published several other articles on this theme, placing the event in the Republic of Moldova (in order to be harder to verify) and giving the testimony of an alleged leading Moldovan scientist. The author, Cătălin Ştefănescu, later said that he made up that article because Ion Cristoiu, the chief editor, demanded every reporter to write three articles each day and he expected that the article would go unnoticed.
The newspaper reached its peak daily circulation of 675,000 in 1993. In 1997 Chief Editor Ion Cristoiu quit and this job was taken by Cornel Nistorescu.
The newspaper was purchased along with its parent company Expres Publishing in 1998 by the German company Gruner+Jahr (owned, in turn, by Bertelsmann
), which later, in 2003 sold it to the Swiss
press trust Ringier
; at the time of purchase, Ringier representatives stated that there would be no direct or indirect intervention in the newspaper's editorial policy.
In September 2004 more than 50 Evenimentul Zilei journalists protested Ringier's management decisions. Similar issues were raised at the same time at rival daily România Liberă
, owned by Germany
's WAZ-Mediengruppe
. At both papers, journalists have complained that foreign owners are telling them to lessen the political coverage and tone down their negative reporting of the government. Their concern has been echoed by a variety of organizations including the Open Society Foundation. After this scandal, Evenimentul Zilei became one of the most fervent attackers of the government's corruption.
Nonetheless, Evenimentul Zilei remained "The biggest thorn in [Adrian] Nastase
's side" (Gallagher, 2005) throughout the 2004 Romanian elections
.
Ten days after Năstase's defeat in the 13 December 2004 runoff elections, Ringier group moved the EZ editor-in-chief, Dan Turturică, to Bacău
(officially, to look into the possibility of starting a free newspaper there) and began changing the editorial policy, to become a tabloid. As a response, 80 journalists signed a protest against these decisions and organized rallies in front of the Swiss and EU
embassies. Subsequent negotiations were unsuccessful and on 4 January 2005, 30 journalists resigned, in addition to another five that resigned several days earlier. Paid circulation dropped at least 40% from a high of over 100,000. (Gallagher, 2005)
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...
s in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. Based in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, the Romanian-language
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
daily has a paid daily circulation of 110,000. Its name means "The event of the day".
It was founded by Ion Cristoiu
Ion Cristoiu
Ion Cristoiu is a Romanian journalist. He was editor-in-chief of the daily Evenimentul Zilei during its heyday in the 1990s, when the average daily circulation topped 600,000, making it the most read newspaper in Romania, and one of the most read in Eastern Europe as well...
, Cornel Nistorescu
Cornel Nistorescu
Cornel Nistorescu is a Romanian journalist, best known as the editor of Evenimentul Zilei daily. He is known in the United States for an editorial he wrote entitled Cîntarea Americii regarding the American response to the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001.Nistorescu graduated from the...
and Mihai Cârciog and the first issue was published on 22 June 1992.
In those early years of Romanian journalism after the fall of Communism
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
, many of the stories in the Romanian newspapers (even the serious ones) were actually made up. Evenimentul Zilei also had its share of bizarre stories, such as reports of "smuggling of headless cats".
However, the most famous episode was a series of articles regarding a hen which gave birth to a live chicken. The original article was published on 2 October 1993. As many readers were interested in more details, Evenimentul Zilei published several other articles on this theme, placing the event in the Republic of Moldova (in order to be harder to verify) and giving the testimony of an alleged leading Moldovan scientist. The author, Cătălin Ştefănescu, later said that he made up that article because Ion Cristoiu, the chief editor, demanded every reporter to write three articles each day and he expected that the article would go unnoticed.
The newspaper reached its peak daily circulation of 675,000 in 1993. In 1997 Chief Editor Ion Cristoiu quit and this job was taken by Cornel Nistorescu.
The newspaper was purchased along with its parent company Expres Publishing in 1998 by the German company Gruner+Jahr (owned, in turn, by Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann AG is a multinational media corporation founded in 1835, based in Gütersloh, Germany. The company operates in 63 countries and employs 102,983 workers , which makes it the most international media corporation in the world. In 2008 the company reported a €16.118 billion consolidated...
), which later, in 2003 sold it to the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
press trust Ringier
Ringier
Ringier AG is one of the largest media corporations in Switzerland founded in Zofingen and based in Zürich. It publishes several newspapers and magazines in both German and French...
; at the time of purchase, Ringier representatives stated that there would be no direct or indirect intervention in the newspaper's editorial policy.
In September 2004 more than 50 Evenimentul Zilei journalists protested Ringier's management decisions. Similar issues were raised at the same time at rival daily România Liberă
România Libera
România Liberă is one of the leading newspapers in Romania. Based in Bucharest, the Romanian-language daily has a paid daily circulation of 40,000....
, owned by Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's WAZ-Mediengruppe
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...
. At both papers, journalists have complained that foreign owners are telling them to lessen the political coverage and tone down their negative reporting of the government. Their concern has been echoed by a variety of organizations including the Open Society Foundation. After this scandal, Evenimentul Zilei became one of the most fervent attackers of the government's corruption.
Nonetheless, Evenimentul Zilei remained "The biggest thorn in [Adrian] Nastase
Adrian Nastase
Adrian Năstase is a Romanian politician who was the Prime Minister of Romania from December 2000 to December 2004.He competed as the Social Democratic Party candidate in the 2004 presidential election, but was defeated by centre-right Justice and Truth Alliance candidate Traian Băsescu.He was...
's side" (Gallagher, 2005) throughout the 2004 Romanian elections
Romanian presidential election, 2004
A presidential election was held in Romania on November 28, 2004. 12 candidates competed for the office. As no candidate won more than 50% of the votes, a run-off was held on December 12, 2004, between the two leading candidates: prime minister Adrian Năstase of the ruling Social Democratic Party...
.
Ten days after Năstase's defeat in the 13 December 2004 runoff elections, Ringier group moved the EZ editor-in-chief, Dan Turturică, to Bacău
Bacau
Bacău is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. It covers a land surface of 43 km², and, as of January 1, 2009, has an estimated population of 177,087. The city is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, and on the Bistriţa River...
(officially, to look into the possibility of starting a free newspaper there) and began changing the editorial policy, to become a tabloid. As a response, 80 journalists signed a protest against these decisions and organized rallies in front of the Swiss and EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
embassies. Subsequent negotiations were unsuccessful and on 4 January 2005, 30 journalists resigned, in addition to another five that resigned several days earlier. Paid circulation dropped at least 40% from a high of over 100,000. (Gallagher, 2005)