THE KEEPER OF ŠOLAK’S TREASURE! Božić, are you stupid or are you deceiving all of us together? It seems to us it’s the latter
The panic among the editors of N1, Nova, Danas and Radar is understandable, because they will never again find a boss like the one they had in Dragan Šolak.
The way they lived comfortably under this tycoon, and how little they worked – it was a lottery jackpot. It happened once, and never again. Journalism is not exactly the hardest job in the world: there are, of course, more complex ones, more exhausting ones, and jobs performed in far worse conditions, but it certainly requires effort, responsibility, stress… unless you work for Šolak. Then you have one topic: Vučić, one type of interviewee: those who attack Vučić, one conclusion: Vučić must go. There is no obligation to check facts, no anxiety that a mistake might have slipped in somewhere, no need to hear the other side, nor the struggles known to all real journalists to find an interesting topic… And as the cherry on the cake: no responsibility for circulation! The monthly circulation of all Šolak’s newspapers combined can fit into the trailer of a pickup truck, with still enough space for a seating set and a fridge! The former owner of Nova, N1 and other media outlets in this group made his money in another, easier and less lawful way.
Kurir, in a series of articles, dismantled this Šolak mechanism for extracting money down to the smallest pieces andclearly presented to the public all his behind-the-scenes manoeuvres. The only one who did not want to understand, or is now pleading diminished responsibility, is Igor Božić, the director of programming of N1.
Flailing between the orders of his former boss Šolak, who still has decisive influence over the editors he himself selected, and the facts, Božić, responding to the criticism of Minister Bratina Bratina, also touched upon our newspaper.
Kurir, says Igor Božić, claims, claims that “N1 is a pro-Russian house”, while on the other hand ministers say they are Western agents.
Šolak’s editor at N1 had both the time and the space to respond seriously to our articles, but then he remained silent. Quite simply, he had no argument. But he had to scratch himself because something is clearly itching him, so he used this opportunity, counting on no one noticing that he falsified our claims.
We showed, namely, that Božić and his circle, following Šolak’s instructions, criticise the European Union whenever it did not directly stand behind this tycoon – Ursula von der Leyen paid the highest price as the target of attacks from Nova and N1… and that it was not beneath them to promote Russian positions when these were favourable to them. When, for example, Maria Zakharova recently attacked the President of Serbia, that became their top story, pushing even the student issue into the background.
To say of Šolak and his editors that they are “pro-Russian” or “pro-European” would be a compliment, because it would imply that they hold a position which someone might like or dislike, but at least a position. Something they believe in. They, however, have neither principles nor convictions. Personally, privately, they might support one or the other, but in their work they are whatever is currently more profitable.
Presenting himself as a Westerner, he courted European and American centres of influence. Being against Russia, especially after the start of the war in Ukraine, was excellent protection for expanding business in the Balkans. It helped his reputation and attracted Western money. But all of this was a deception.
Kurir, together with international investigative media, showed that Šolak’s pro-Western image was a deception upon which he built his messianic role in the alleged struggle for media freedom, and a façade for serious business deals with Russian oligarchs close to official Moscow.
In practice, this mechanism worked as follows: Šolak owned the franchise of the American CNN, the television channel N1, which predominantly broadcast anti-Russian views, and at the same time – as Slovenian media uncovered – he was carefully developing business with Wolfram Kuoni, a highly influential figure in the circles of Kremlin-linked business!
And now Igor Božić claims that we think Dragan Šolak does business with Putin’s oligarchs for ideological reasons!
Immediately after the decision of BC Partners, the majority owner of United Group, to remove Šolak from the position of Chairman of the company’s Advisory Board, which will strip him of influence over Nova, N1, Danas… the tycoon held a meeting in his villa with his most loyal editors from the region. Alongside Igor Božić, the invitees were the programme directors of N1 Croatia, Tihomir Ladišić, and N1 BiH, Amir Zukić, and the editor-in-chief of N1 Slovenia, Katja Šeruga, and after the meeting they launched a defence of Šolak and the system for siphoning money out of United Group.
Božić’s statement shows that this campaign is still ongoing. Allegedly, they are seeking a financier who will buy Nova, N1, Radar and Danas from BC Partners so that these outlets may preserve their “independence”, read: their existing editorial policy. They are simply sketching Šolak...
As we said, another boss like Šolak does not exist!
Kurir Editorial Team
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