24. 06. 2004

Journalists demand editor’s resignation

NIS, July 24, 2004 (Danas) – Journalists from the editorial office of Bulgarian-language weekly Bratstvo have demanded that the Nis-based magazine’s Management Board seek the resignation of Editor-in-Chief Vance Bogoev, daily Danas reports. In a letter to the board, several Bratstvo journalists claimed that Bogoev is incompetent as editor-in-chief and that, under him, the magazine has no diversity and no modern concept. They also claim that the quality of the publication has fallen and that it has lost readership because each issue is prepared in haste at the last possible minute. They also point to declining circulation, with the weekly now being printed in only 1,800 copies, down from the former 2,800. Bogoev, responding to the claims yesterday, said that they had been made in pursuit of what he described as “certain unfulfilled ambitions”. He added that Bratstvo’s editorial policy and concept was determined by the Management Board in response to proposals from the director and editor-in-chief. Input on editorial policy had also been sought from desk editors, in order for the board to comment on these and appoint as editor-in-chief whoever submitted the best proposals. “However, I am the only one who responded to this,” said Bogoev. The embattled editor-in-chief acknowledged the falling circulation, but said that present figures could not be compared with those from the time when Bratstvo was operated by the Association of Socialist Workers and had an entirely different function. Bratstvo Director Velimir Kostov said today that the issue would be discussed at tomorrow’s meeting of the Management Board and that the opinions of the editorial staff would be taken into consideration.