The Municipality of Sevlievo will cover the losses of the municipal newspaper with taxpayers’ money, which unofficially serves as the newspaper of GERB in Sevlievo. Under the guise of helping the media “remain competitive in conditions of information saturation,” the municipal administration is submitting a proposal to the Municipal Council to approve an increase in the capital of the sole proprietorship that publishes the newspaper by 30,000 leva.
According to the proposal to the councilors, the funds will be used to implement the company’s projects while also covering its current obligations. What is not stated in the proposal is that injecting money into the sole and wholly municipal trading company “Rositsa,” which publishes the eponymous newspaper, is the only way to save it from bankruptcy.
A Celebration of Local Government or Journalism?
It is unclear how it was calculated that the insignificant amount of 30,000 leva, which is hardly enough to sustain a media outlet, would be sufficient to simultaneously work on projects and cover debts. However, there are sufficient grounds to believe that the 30,000 leva will be used to settle the newspaper’s obligations, but the funds are allocated under the pretense of more meaningful purposes. Otherwise, the inability of the ruling party to maintain the newspaper, which has been consciously, purposefully, and consistently turned into a party official since GERB came to power in Sevlievo twelve years ago, will be illuminated, serving more to glorify local government than to fulfill the aims of journalism.
This is the foundation of its current unfavorable financial situation, preceded by a complete purge of journalists and a servile editorial policy, which does not attract readers but ensures comfort for those in power.
Rescue on the Second Attempt
This is the second injection of taxpayer money into the municipal newspaper. In March 2022, the capital of “Rositsa” LLC was again increased by 30,000 leva, claiming that “the economic situation of the newspaper has been negatively affected by the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.” This was the argument for the Municipality’s proposal for the councilors to vote on raising the capital from 16,000 to 46,000 leva.
The measure was deemed necessary, as became evident from the annual financial reports of the media, which have shown negative values since 2017. This year marks when the newspaper was entrusted to a journalist who was at that time a municipal councilor from GERB and did not hide his sympathetic attitude towards local government.
Through a Change of Manager for “Proper” Publishing
However, instead of uplifting the newspaper, this management led to worsening financial results. In the first year under the new manager, who is also the editor-in-chief, a loss of 15,000 leva was reported, while six years later, in 2022, the loss was nearly double.
Neither the polished conferences celebrating the newspaper’s 130th anniversary, funded by the Municipality, nor the increase in the publication’s price seem to help. Official data on the newspaper’s circulation have not been released, but if the unofficial rumors are true, it is hard to understand why the authorities continue to support it “piecemeal” instead of making serious changes that could have a long-term effect.
An International Conference with Our People
One of the achievements of the newspaper “Rositsa,” which is supposed to be supported, noted with the 30,000 leva, includes work on projects as well as covering losses, with the local government citing the International Scientific- Applied Conference “Regional Development, Cultural Corridors, and Media.” The organizer of this forum is named as the newspaper “Rositsa,” and according to the Municipality of Sevlievo, it involved scholars and experts in the fields of regional development, culture, tourism, historical heritage, education from across the country, as well as scholars from Serbia, North Macedonia, and Romania.
No media from Sevlievo were among those invited to the conference, and it is unclear whether the media were even a subject of discussion, despite being mentioned in the grand title of the forum. According to the program, the only journalist who spoke at the conference was Minka Mincheva – the editor-in-chief of “Rositsa.” The role of media in regional development and cultural corridors evidently did not come up for discussion, as they were represented by only one media outlet and one journalist.
The program for this forum, held at the Municipality and likely also indirectly funded by taxpayers, features only one foreign lecturer’s name. However, it is worth noting that it was opened and closed by Venelin Terziev, who has been publicly accused of plagiarism numerous times, according to the newspaper “Sega.” He disputes these claims, stating that his works predate those alleged to be plagiarized. Terziev, who Sevlievo generously gives a platform, is the supervisor of the dissertation for obtaining a “Doctor” degree of the acting Minister of Economy Daniella Vezieva. According to “Sega,” this is a case of “large-scale plagiarism,” as concluded in a report by the Commission for Academic Ethics sent to the then Minister of Education Acad. Nikolai Denkov.
None of this has prevented “Rositsa,” which continues to exist thanks to taxpayer money, from publishing over thirty articles – interviews with Venelin Terziev or related texts over the past three years.
To Uncover Everything Hidden in the Dark
This is the same newspaper, established on June 4, 1886, by a group of teachers under the editorship of Petyo Mustakov. It started as a weekly and was initially printed in Gabrovo. After Petar Mutafov bought the printing house of Nencho Nestorov, known as “The Quick-Printing House of Petar Mutafchiev and Co.,” “Rositsa” began to be printed in Sevlievo.
According to the program of the new newspaper, it was published “to expose the stripping of the people by the new chorbajiis (wealthy landowners)… It will deal with the affairs of our (Sevlievo) district. It will impartially uncover everything that hides in the dark” (as noted in issue 1/1886).
