Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky explains his entry into the newspaper's capital

He is one of the new faces of the French press. After buying the weekly MarianneCzech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, head of the Czech Media Invest group, bought 49% of Matthieu Pigbade's stake in World. While his arrival at the capital of the newspaper questions to the heart of the writing, the businessman returns Saturday in The Éechoes on the reasons for his investment, which he describes as "a citizen's commitment".

"It's not an economic investment". Claiming to "regret not having had more time to communicate properly", Daniel Kretinsky denounces "inaccuracies in the way things were sometimes presented" concerning his arrival. "The press is not an economic investment for me, it's more of a citizen engagement," he says.

"The press is essential for preserving the traditional values ​​of liberal democracy," says the billionaire. "If we invest in this sector, it is because I am very attached to the values ​​of our societies and that what I observe today in their evolution scares me".

A "fight to lead on the regulation of the Gafa". The businessman also shares a "deep intellectual interest in the issues facing the press today". And to quote "the people who inform themselves only by the digital" who "are not armed enough to understand in their complexity the societal, economic, political issues".

Daniel Kretinsky also mentions "the fight to be waged on the regulation of the Gafa", some of which "exert a wild competition to the standard media".

On October 26, in a statement, the Society of the editors of the World had said "surprise of this modification of the shareholding" and its "brutal announcement". The SDR also claimed to remain "vigilant about ongoing operations and their implications for editorial independence and the image of World".

Questioned by The echoes Daniel Kretinsky badures us that "every writing is independent, and each medium has its own spirit, its values, its audience, and it must be respected." My personal ideas do not have to interfere with the line of the editorial line. newspapers ".

The billionaire does not exclude synergies between The world and his other titles of press, like the diffusion of articles translated on the site Info.cz.