24 sata – The Adventure Begins

Today is another important day in history of Croatian media. 24 sata is a daily newspaper that appeared on newsstands for the first time. Its editor-in-chief Matija Babić (Matija Babic) has already made history by breaking the news of Severina Vučković (Severina Vuckovic) sex tape and thus convincing the last die-hard sceptics of the power of Internet. This time the history is made through less spectacular achievements – 24 sata happens to be the first daily tabloid ever to be published in this country.

Babić used to promote this project as a newspaper directed towards “young urban” audience and relentless towards Croatian political, economic and entertainment establishment or, in Babić’s words, “scum”. Those more cynical, including the author of this blog, expected to see newspaper directed towards the very audience that consumed everything related to L’affaire Severina.

The first issue is, however, something of a disappointment, despite low expectations. The form is O.K. The format is small, making the paper easy to read on the bus or in the bathroom. There are plenty of large headlines and photographs, including those of scantily dressed young ladies – exactly what sells tabloids.

However, to say that the content leaves something to be desired is an understatement of the century. I would really like to comment on the quality of writing, but I hardly have anything to comment on. Articles are ridiculously short and I’m almost certain that the quantity of text in the entire newspaper is less than what I encounter in certain blogs each day.

24 sata must make some improvements very soon if it is to survive on crowded and unforgiving Croatian media market. However, my comments should be taken with a grain of salt. Newspapers shouldn’t be judged on their first issues.

The website is much better than the paper itself. It is updated regularly throughout the day. Based on the headlines, tomorrow’s issue should be much saucier than today’s.