''Nacional'' is a

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n weekly

news magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories, in greater depth than do newspapers or new ...

published in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

. Founded in 1995 and owned by photographer and journalist

Ivo Pukanić Ivo Pukanić (21 January 1961 – 23 October 2008) was a Croatian journalist. He was best known as editor-in-chief of the once influential Croatian political weekly '' Nacional''. In 2008, Pukanić was assassinated by members of Croatian and Serb ...

, ''Nacional'' quickly gained a reputation for reporting and critical articles about the conservative government led by the

Croatian Democratic Union The Croatian Democratic Union ( hr, Hrvatska demokratska zajednica, lit=Croatian Democratic Community, HDZ) is the major conservative, centre-right political party in Croatia. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Croa ...

(HDZ), which was in power during the 1990s. During most of its existence its main rival was ''

Globus Globus is Latin for ''sphere'' or ''globe''. It may also refer to: Business * Globus Medical, a medical device company in Audubon, PA * Globus (clothing retailer), an Indian clothing retail store * Globus (company), a Swiss department store chai ...

'' published by

Europapress Holding Hanza Media (until July 1, 2016: Europapress Holding, or EPH) is the leading media company in Croatia and Southeast Europe, with 5 daily newspapers, more than 20 magazines, and 20 digital editions. Hanza Media's consumer magazines are aimed at t ...

(EPH).

History

''Nacional'' was launched in 1995 by Denis Kuljiš,

and other prominent journalists dissatisfied with the editorial policies of then popular weekly ''

''. Soon a bitter competition developed between two magazines, because they tried to grab the same readership and used the same techniques of investigative journalism. In 2000 Pukanić stepped down as editor-in-chief to oversee the launch of his short-lived daily ''Republika'', which was meant to compete with EPH's '' Jutarnji list''. ''Republika'' was launched in late 2000, only to fold in May 2001 due to low circulation. After 2000 ''Nacionals editorial policy shifted to include more business and entertainment content. Following the failure of ''Republika'' Pukanić returned to the magazine as an investigative reporter. Shortly after the 2008 assassination of Ivo Pukanić, the magazine's sales plummeted, and in 2010 it was bought by a Swiss media company owned by Harald von Seefried. Soon after the acquisition a group of journalists dissatisfied by the new owner's editorial policies left ''Nacional'' to found a rival weekly called ''Aktual'', whose first issue was published in June 2011. ''Nacional'' continued to amass losses and was discontinued after the issue no. 866, published on 19 June 2012. The ''Nacional'' brand and its archive have since been acquired by Berislav Jelinić, its former journalist, who re-launched the magazine on 9 December 2014.

Political stance

After the year 2000, ''Nacional'' shifted its editorial policies to include more business and entertainment oriented content. By the end of its run, ''Nacional'' was similar in format and content to

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

newsweeklies. ''Nacional'' was owned by its editors and journalists, Ivo Pukanić being the majority shareholder.

Vienna Capital Partners Vienna Capital Partners (VCP) is a corporate finance advisor and private equity investor headquartered in Vienna, Austria. The company is mainly focused on corporate finance, direct investment and trust management in Central and Eastern Europe coun ...

had a stake in the company.Strasser wird VCP-Manager und hält auch 10 Prozent der VCP-Anteile

Pukanić assassination

Ivo Pukanić was assassinated by car bomb on 23 October 2008 outside the offices of ''Nacional''. Niko Franić, marketing director at ''Nacional'', also died in the explosion. Two others were injured.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nacional 1995 establishments in Croatia Magazines published in Croatia Croatian-language magazines Magazines established in 1995 Mass media in Zagreb News magazines published in Europe Weekly magazines