Adnkronos (Adnkronos) –
"Il Fatto is not for sale. I am not for sale." Marco Travaglio, editor-in-chief of Il Fatto Quotidiano, rejects the advances of Leonardo Del Vecchio, who, through the Lmdv Media group, has initiated due diligence to launch a voluntary takeover bid aimed at delisting Il Fatto SpA.
(Seif). "I feel like Alberto Sordi's wife at the Venice Biennale, when American tourists wanted to buy her for 18 million. Until three days ago, Del Vecchio was calling us 'journalism rats.' This issue concerns freedom of information and journalism. We, the founding members, who own 52% of Seif, are not interested in selling our shares.
Del Vecchio's attempt to acquire 82% to change the statute is destined to fail," Travaglio said on Otto e Mezzo, on La7.
Il Fatto is not for sale, the editor of Il Fatto is not for sale. It's legitimate for Del Vecchio to want to buy us, and it's legitimate to respond that we're not for sale. Only the reader can buy Il Fatto.
I don't know if he's suddenly infatuated or trying to discredit us. There are rumors, and I take them as such. Il Fatto is not for sale and remains one of the very few newspapers without an owner," he adds. Del Vecchio has proposed a public meeting with Travaglio. "Every word spoken moves a share on the stock exchange. If there are meetings, they will take place in official offices with the company's managers. This company will not turn into a Barnum Circus or a talk show," says the journalist.
“We will continue without owners and without public funding. Our financial statements are public. Anyone can read and verify them. We are listed on the stock exchange, and anything anyone says can alter the stock, but it's all public. There are financial difficulties, not just at Il Fatto Quotidiano, but across all Italian publishing companies. When we started in 2009, there were 36 newsstands; now there are 15,” he states.
Even if you like the paper version, you can't find it. Every paper copy you lose requires four digital copies to ensure the same income. Over the past year, we've increased digital subscriptions by 30% and become the third-largest generalist newspaper in Italy, behind Corriere and Repubblica; otherwise, Del Vecchio wouldn't be interested. Fortunately, I see a positive trend in the number of copies sold every month. The trend is positive, and the latest half-year report performed much better than the previous one.
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