The editor in chief, Cristian Pantazi (photo 3) and the coordinating editor, Dan Tapalaga (photo 2), have announced on Tuesday they would leave the Hotnews team for another editorial project.
Tapalaga says one of the reasons is the different vision of the employers, but also the wish to develop a new editorial project.
“We see differentl
Regarding the new project, Tapalaga says it is an attempt to go further, to have our own editorial project. “We hope to launch the new website next week, a website focused on hard news, with topics of the day, opinions and analyses, all in the quality area.”
Dan Tapalaga leaves Hotnews after 12 years and names this period “the best journey in my career.” He thanked the shareholders for the full editorial freedom during hard times and for the courage to withstand during the difficult moments the press in Romania has gone through.
In turn, Cristian Pantazi, leaves after 14 years. “I leave behind a great editorial staff and great readers. I believe the website will remain an oasis in a desert landscape of the media. I thank the shareholders for developing a reference product with clear journalistic values.”
Hotnews.ro founder, Ioan Margarit, said about this development that in his view, there are no huge differences of vision.
“The issues are the same for the public. There are nuances, however. We want to continue in the same way, with constant readers and to win new readers. I thank them for the many years here. I believe their project is complementary to hotnews.ro. I cannot say for the moment who is going to run the team, maybe an editorial council,” Margarit said.
A blow to the press independence, coming from Liviu Dragnea?
The departure of the editorialists from Hotnews is considered, by Realitatea TV employer, as a blow conducted by Liviu Dragnea against the independent press.
Cozmin Gusa says he was expecting such a decision. “I learned, about a month ago, that intermediaries of Liviu Dragnea discussed a hostile takeover of the website, not because Hotnews was aimed, but because Liviu Dragnea allegedly noticed that other persons or other PSD leaders had great influence in the media and thus made this attempt, for an important amount of money,” Gusa said.
He claims the developments at Hotnews are part of a larger strategy of the PSD leader to annihilate the opposition in the media. “By this gesture, Liviu Dragea not only annihilates a canon against his interests – as Hotnews, along with Realitatea TV and several other press institutions, was an island of independence and a canon against Dragnea’s excesses against democracy and against the state. He aims to build an instrument enabling him to go further, by unseen influences, this editorial attitude within PSD, which has become, as we say it, PSDragnea,” Cozmin Gusa said.