Libertatea ("Freedom") is a Romanian daily newspaper and online news website covering current affairs, entertainment, sports and lifestyle. It was founded on December 22, 1989 (12:45 p.m.), by Octavian Andronic, as "the first independent newspaper of the Romanian Revolution of 1989".

History and profile

The paper was started in 1989. The first edition was published at midday on 22 December 1989, being the first newspaper to announce that the communist ruler, President Nicolae Ceaușescu, had fled the capital in a helicopter. The former newspaper was named Informația Bucureștiului. Sorin Rosca Stanescu was a journalist at the former newspaper and worked with Octavian Andronic, the founder of the new newspaper Libertatea. Nowadays, the first edition of Libertatea can be seen in museums, like Muzeul Presei Sever Bocu', from Jimbolia, Timiș. The current editor-in-chief, Dan Duca, joined Libertatea in March 2020 and was appointed editor-in-chief in August, the same year.

Ringier takeover

In 1994, it was bought by Ringier and went through a lot of changes, which resulted in Libertatea eventually becoming the most printed and sold newspaper in the country, growing from Bucharest only into a national printed publication. It also became the first Romanian newspaper to be printed in color.

Libertatea – tabloid

In 1999, most part of the newsroom leaves and starts another newspaper, Averea, Libertatea becomes a tabloid, following as a model the Swiss Ringier tabloid, Blick. The number of sold copies goes from some tens of thousands a day, to more than 250.000. In 2002, Libertatea was the most distributed newspaper in Romania, with a monthly average of 151.409 sold copies, per edition. Its competitors were Adevărul, with 129.389 sold copies, and Evenimentul Zilei, with 106.297. The same year, Libertatea launches the Sunday edition. A SNA study shows from July 2008 – July 2009, shows that Libertatea is still the number one newspaper in the country, with 1.425.000 readers. Its tabloid competitor, Cancan, is second, with 981.000 readers and the third is also a tabloid, „Click”, with 938.000 readers.

Page 5 Girl

"Page 5 girl" (Fata de la Pagina 5) appeared when Libertatea relaunched as a tabloid and it soon became a brand on its own. Some national celebrities became famous due to being "Page 5" girls. Among them, the most known are Laura Cosoi, Andreea Mantea, Nicoleta Luciu or Roxana Ionescu. In 2001, a night club, Pub 21, launched a cocktail with the name of "Fata de la Pagina 5". After almost 20 years, in 2017, with a shift in editorial strategy, while rebranding as a popular newspaper, Libertatea cancels "Page 5 girl" section from its printed and online editions.

From tabloid to general news

In 2014, Libertatea starts a rebranding process, by repositioning from tabloid to general news. The mix of content changes as well, shifting its accent from celebrities and content meant to shock and amaze, to general news, politics, features. In 2016, BRAT (Biroul Român de Audit Transmedia), voted to move Libertatea from its "tabloid" category, to "General news", so the change became official. Video also becomes an important part of the newsroom with a dedicated department.

A new relaunch

In 2018, after Ringier Romania took over Gazeta Sporturilor in a joint venture with Sportal, Cătălin Tolontan became the editorial director of Libertatea. The newsroom goes through changes, new journalists become part of the team in a process that took place over two years. Libertatea becomes well known for the investigative pieces, features and human stories published both in print and in the online edition.

Circulation and format

Libertatea had a certified average daily circulation of 36.905 copies, in Q1 2020, with 11.732 subscriptions and 15.598 sold copies The newspaper relaunched in April 2016, in general news format with a shift from tabloid journalism to more serious reporting, after a process which started in 2014. The decision was taken after a voting process in the directorial council of BRAT. Libertatea is distributed Monday to Saturday, with daily content on its website. The Sunday edition was canceled starting April 2020. On Fridays, a free TV Guide is distributed with the printed edition. Also, both in print and online, readers can find, on Fridays, the weekly horoscope written by Urania.

Online media

Libertatea publishes all news online, with free access both to current news and an archive of 670.000 stories. Libertatea.ro is ranked in top 5 Romanian websites, as monthly number of unique users, according to BRAT. Libertatea features a Monday to Friday online live news format, broadcast twice per day on "Adriana Nedelea, la fix" Also, Uranissima, a video horoscope, by Urania, can be followed weekly on a dedicated playlist on the Libertatea YouTube channel. Daily, Libertatea hosts different opinion pieces & editorial comments in a dedicated section, Opinii.

Awards

Notable stories