 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner | Adria Media Group |
| Editor | Aleksandar Djondović |
| Founded | 6 May 2003 |
| Political alignment | Serbian Progressive Party Sensationalism [1] [2] Populism |
| Headquarters | Vlajkovićeva 8, Belgrade, Serbia |
| Circulation | ~60,000 copies sold (2016) |
| Website | kurir.rs |
Kurir is daily tabloid newspaper published in Belgrade, Serbia and is part of a media group that also operates the Kurir television channel.
The first issue of Kurir appeared at newsstands on 6 May 2003. [3] While Kurir's history is relatively short, it is also a checkered one. It goes back to the state of emergency, declared following the assassination of Serbia's Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić, when another daily tabloid named Nacional was shut down. Using its broad powers under the state of emergency act, Serbian government's Ministry of Culture and Information headed by Branislav Lečić issued a temporary ban on publication of Nacional daily on 18 March 2003, for "publishing a number of articles relating to the state of emergency and for questioning the reasons behind the state of emergency". [4] Then on 1 April 2003, the Belgrade city commercial court started liquidation proceedings against Nacional's publisher in Belgrade, Info Orfej. Despite an appeal, the company's equipment, including 118 computers, was seized on 21 April 2003, two days before the state of emergency ended. [4]
Many of the former Nacional staffers found employment in the newly formed Kurir. Businessman Radisav Rodić became its owner. [5] Notably, Dragan J. Vučićević (who later founded of Informer), ex Nacional deputy-editor-in-chief moved to Kurir. [6] The new paper bore an uncanny resemblance to the old one, both in tone and layout.
In 2005, a group of editors left Kurir and founded the newspaper Press. In 2016, former Kurir editors Milan Ladjević and Saša Milovanović left and founded the Srpski Telegraf paper. [7]
In 2009, Radisav Rodić was arrested on suspicion of tax fraud. After his arrest, his son Aleksandar took over management of the paper. That same year, the "Law on Public Information" was changed drastically to increase fines for media which do not respect the rules of the profession. [7] It was seen as a change that largely punished the tabloid for changing political alliances when it suited their sensationalism. [5]
Kurir is generally seen as pro-government. It was favorable to the Democratic Party (DS) when it ruled but after its loss in 2012 to the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), Kurir switched allegiances and became pro-SNS, an editorial stance that has remained. [7]
According to the investigative journalist organisation KRIK, Kurir published over 104 biased and unfounded articles in its newspaper in 2024. [8]
The Ministry announced a lawsuit against Kurir over false information published by the tabloid, claiming that Kurir spreads "tendentious fabrications" and violates ethical standards. [9]
Kurir sued KRIK (and other media/NGOs) over an analysis claiming that it had published a large number of unverified, manipulative, or false headlines. [10] The court ruled in favor of KRIK and dismissed the lawsuit, stating that the analysis was part of journalism, not "unreliable competition." [11]
The independent journalists’ association IJAS accused Kurir of inciting violence and spreading hatred through articles that, according to them, were closer to "political pamphlets" than standard journalism. [12] IJAS called on the relevant authorities (Ministry of Information) to initiate proceedings against Kurir for violating the Law on Public Information. [12]
A report by the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation states that Kurir frequently attacks critical media and journalists, using rhetoric that dehumanizes them and labels them as "traitors" or "mercenaries". [13] According to the analysis, these attacks are part of a broader strategy to influence public opinion and undermine media freedom. [13]