România Libera
Encyclopedia
România Liberă is one of the leading newspaper
s in Romania
. Based in Bucharest
, the Romanian-language
daily has a paid daily circulation of 40,000.
România Liberă was founded in early 1943, during World War II
, as an underground organ of the Romanian Communist Party
. During the war it opposed the Nazi-allied government of Ion Antonescu
, issuing calls to sabotage of the war industry and open armed resistance. After the party gained power, it became one of its official mouthpieces, second to Scînteia
as a Romanian daily concentrating more on local issues than on national and international news. It was also the only Romanian newspaper allowed to publish full-page advertisement sections.
In 1990, shortly after the Romanian Revolution of 1989
, but before the rise of independent television
in Romania, its circulation briefly rose as high as 1.5 million. However, those numbers rapidly fell off and in 2000 the paper was purchased by the German
company WAZ
. Echoing complaints of journalists at rival daily Evenimentul Zilei
, which is owned by the Swiss
press trust Ringier
, România Liberă journalists complained in September 2004 that foreign owners are telling them to lessen 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. Management has denied the charges.
In the case of România Liberă, this protest took the form of a statement in the edition of September 13, 2004, in which the newspaper's editors protested interference by WAZ. They accused their German ownership of having no concern for the public interest, and accused Klaus Overbeck in particular of trying to dictate to them what they could print in the newspaper. At the time of purchase WAZ promised to confine themselves to the business side of the newspaper and stay out of editorial matters.
The paper has published The New York Times International Weekly on Fridays since 2009. This 8-page supplement features a selection of English-language articles from The New York Times
.
In 2010 WAZ left the Romanian market and its shares at România Liberă, leaving businessman Dan Grigore Adamescu as sigle share holder of Medien Holding Group.
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 40,000.
România Liberă was founded in early 1943, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, as an underground organ of the Romanian Communist Party
Romanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party was a communist political party in Romania. Successor to the Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to communist revolution and the disestablishment of Greater Romania. The PCR was a minor and illegal grouping for much of the...
. During the war it opposed the Nazi-allied government of Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu
Ion Victor Antonescu was a Romanian soldier, authoritarian politician and convicted war criminal. The Prime Minister and Conducător during most of World War II, he presided over two successive wartime dictatorships...
, issuing calls to sabotage of the war industry and open armed resistance. After the party gained power, it became one of its official mouthpieces, second to Scînteia
Scînteia
Scînteia was the name of two newspapers edited by Communist groups at different intervals in Romanian history...
as a Romanian daily concentrating more on local issues than on national and international news. It was also the only Romanian newspaper allowed to publish full-page advertisement sections.
In 1990, shortly after the Romanian Revolution of 1989
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...
, but before the rise of independent television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in Romania, its circulation briefly rose as high as 1.5 million. However, those numbers rapidly fell off and in 2000 the paper was purchased by the German
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...
company 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...
. Echoing complaints of journalists at rival daily Evenimentul Zilei
Evenimentul Zilei
Evenimentul Zilei is one of the leading newspapers in Romania. Based in Bucharest, the Romanian-language daily has a paid daily circulation of 110,000...
, which is owned by 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...
, România Liberă journalists complained in September 2004 that foreign owners are telling them to lessen 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. Management has denied the charges.
In the case of România Liberă, this protest took the form of a statement in the edition of September 13, 2004, in which the newspaper's editors protested interference by WAZ. They accused their German ownership of having no concern for the public interest, and accused Klaus Overbeck in particular of trying to dictate to them what they could print in the newspaper. At the time of purchase WAZ promised to confine themselves to the business side of the newspaper and stay out of editorial matters.
The paper has published The New York Times International Weekly on Fridays since 2009. This 8-page supplement features a selection of English-language articles from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.
In 2010 WAZ left the Romanian market and its shares at România Liberă, leaving businessman Dan Grigore Adamescu as sigle share holder of Medien Holding Group.