Editors and news directors of independent newsrooms from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia said that they are forced to warn the international public that BC Partners and United Group are jeopardizing the survival and independence of all United Media newsrooms, and are preventing a solution to the crisis by putting all the employees of those media outlets in a hostage-like situation amid an environment of constantly increasing political pressure and risk.
“The owners and management are deliberately refusing to confirm stable funding for the newsrooms, which constitutes institutional pressure — coming from the company itself this time — with the clear intent of paralyzing staff and raising fears for the survival of those media outlets. BC Partners (BCP) and United Group (UG) are actively preventing the only solution that would guarantee the independence and security of the newsrooms and are blocking the only concrete offer that ensures editorial independence, professional standards, and sustainability: a management buyout, proposed by the editors and news directors themselves in four countries,” the statement said.
It added that BC Partners and United Group’s management also refused to respond to requests for comments about the measures they announced which are allegedly intended to “strengthen editorial independence”. “Although these measures directly affect the operation, credibility, and public mission of the media outlets in four countries in the region, the owners and management are failing to explain what they are planning exactly, who would draft those measures, and how they would protect — and not undermine — existing editorial autonomy. The owners and management have also remained completely silent regarding the latest cases of chilling threats and repeated insults by officials in Serbia directed at our employees, indicating that nothing is being done to preserve professional standards,” it said.
The editors and news directors recalled that their letter of December 5 requested a minimum level of transparency, a clear explanation of the planned measures, how they would be implemented, and guarantees that they would not jeopardize existing editorial independence. “There has been no response 2 weeks later, and we are convinced that the owners’ silence and the absence of clear guarantees cannot be interpreted as neutral—it creates insecurity and justifiably increases suspicion that the announced measures are not aimed at strengthening, but at weakening independent journalism,” the statement said.
“Our offer for a management buyout remains on the table. It represents a responsible and sustainable solution that protects the public interest and professional standards. In the context of United Group’s publicly stated intention to withdraw from markets outside the European Union, there is no rational reason to ignore the sale of the news business through a management buyout. For more than seven years, BC Partners has shown no willingness to realize an exit from its investment—despite the fact that such an exit is standard practice for investment funds at the end of an investment cycle.
“We are seeking an answer to what exactly is required and what BCP and UG expect in order to approve our buyout offer.
“Employees in our newsrooms and the public in the countries where we operate deserve a clear, immediate, and unambiguous response—both regarding the management buyout offer and the announced measures related to editorial independence. The lack of communication deepens concerns that key decisions are being made without transparency and without a genuine intention to protect the values these newsrooms have built over the past decade,” the statement said.
Source: N1
