Cristian Pantazi, editor-in-chief of HotNews.ro, and Dan Tapalaga, coordinating editor at the website, on Tuesday announced their leaving the newsroom to launch their own editorial project. Here are their messages to readers.
Cristian Pantazi: Leaving HotNews.ro. A new beginning
Time has come for me to choose another path. After 14 years in Romania's best newsroom, I'm leaving HotNews.ro for another editorial project, along with fellow HotNews.ro journalist Dan Tapalaga and other strong journalists from outside this newsroom. I'm leaving behind a formidable team and an exceptional public. HotNews.ro is one of the last functional compass in a deserted media landscape and I'm sure he will stay the same.
Special thanks must go to shareholders. They have created and developed a top journalism product around clear, unanimously accepted values.
To you, our readers, I thank for the trust invested in me throughout these years. I've been permanently seeking to serve the public interest, to find the truth and make it public. I've also made mistakes, but you have understood they are inherent in our job and I've never written in bad faith. I'm sure we will meet again, that the ideas and values we believe in are common.
More details about the project launched with Dan Tapalaga will come soon.
See you soon!
Dan Tapalaga: End of line. See you soon!
One of the most beautiful journeys in my career as a journalist ends today. Most probably, another will start soon. After 12 years, my work with HotNews.ro ends here.
As long as I've had something to say in the editorial leadership, I and Cristian Pantazi and all my other colleagues in the newsroom sought to serve the public interest, the truth exclusively and respect our readers with quality news and analyses.
I thank my colleagues and tell them to be proud of what they're doing. They have a duty to keep honoring the public, even more so that harder times are coming.
I owe some apologies to some of them. I haven't been easy to cope with always.
I thank shareholders for their full editorial freedom in difficult times and for the courage to resist in difficult moments for Romanian media. The difficulties we've been through together were many.
While we have different views today, I'm sure we will walk the same path for many years to come. A strong connection for us was the faith in a set of values. This has not changed fundamentally. I hope we will meet again one day.
We've had the strongest ally on our side: an informed, demanding public. They motivated us when all seemed lost, supported us and gave us reason not to step back. They are forcing us to keep going today.
Readers who have trusted me for all these years should have a little patience. We will see each other again, in our next editorial project.
Thank you all once again!
