''Koha Ditore'' (trans. ''Daily Time'') is the leading daily

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sport ...

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Eur ...

. It is published by Koha Group and was founded and owned by politician Veton Surroi. His sister Flaka Surroi is now the publisher, following Veton Surroi's launch of his political career within the

ORA ORA or Ora may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ora'' (film), a 2011 experimental dance film * Rita Ora (born 1990), British-Albanian singer-songwriter and actress * ''Ora'' (Jovanotti album), 2011 * ''Ora'' (Rita Ora album), 2012 * "Ora" ...

reformist party. The newspaper initially published as a weekly magazine Koha, that ran from 1992 to 1994, becoming a leading weekly magazine in Kosovo. The initial team included new generation of opinion-makers such as

Ylber Hysa Ylber Hysa was a member of the Assembly of Kosovo. He is a member of the Reformist Party ORA and a civil rights activist, and for many years was the director of Kosovo Action for Civic Initiatives (KACI), a Kosovo Albanian non-governmental organiza ...

Baton Haxhiu Baton Haxhiu (born August 4 1968) Skënderaj Kosovo is a Kosovo Albanian columnist and journalist who has worked for media such as Koha Ditore, Gazeta Express, Klan Kosova and ABC News Albania. He now works for Euronews Albania. Background He ...

, Dukagjin Gorani,

Eqrem Basha Eqrem Basha ( mk, Еќрем Баша, ) (born 1948 in Debar, PR Macedonia, FPR Yugoslavia) is among the most respected contemporary writers of Kosovo in recent years. His life and literary production are intimately linked to Kosovo and its capit ...

, Shkelzen Maliqi, etc. The newspaper with the same name was published for the first time in 1997. Its current editor in chief is

Agron Bajrami Agron Bajrami (born 5 December 1967 in Pristina, Kosovo) is the editor of and a writer for ''Koha Ditore'' (English: Daily Time) newspaper, the largest daily newspaper in Kosovo. He filled various journalistic and editing positions at the newspa ...

. On Saturday, March 31, 2007, Koha Ditore distributed a free jubilee edition celebrating 10 years since its first issue. In all opinion polls conducted in Kosovo since 1999, Koha Ditore resulted as the most read newspaper. According to the last poll conducted in February 2008, Koha Ditore is read by 30% of Kosovo readers, 13% more than the second most read newspaper. The newspaper is generally considered independent, however issues of conflict of interest were raised when the founder of the newspaper Veton Surroi entered local politics in Kosovo. In 2012, US Ambassador to Kosovo, Christopher Dell, accused the newspaper of promoting the political aspirations of Veton Surroi. Dell referred to events in early 2011 when Kosovo did not have any president and Surroi, a long-time friend of the ambassador, was in talks with Kosovo's Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci, and Dell to be proposed as Kosovo's new president. According to Dell, during these time the newspaper that usually has been a fierce critic of the Thaci-government, quit criticizing the government. When the plans changed and

Behgjet Pacolli Behgjet Isa Pacolli ; sh, Behđet Isa Pacoli. (born 30 August 1951) is a Kosovar Albanian politician and businessman who served as the first deputy prime minister of Kosovo and minister of foreign affairs from 2017 to 2019 under the Ramush Har ...

was elected president, the newspaper launched a series of articles against both the ambassador and Pacolli. Among other things Koha Ditore published pictures of SMS-messages taken during the parliamentary session when the president was elected showing that Dell was influencing the election of the president. Dell claimed media was violating his privacy while Koha Ditore claimed the ambassador wanted to censor them and limit freedom of speech. Surroi has confirmed he was positive when asked if he wanted to be president but has accused Dell of exaggerating and spreading rumours when describing the events. Koha Ditore has answered that the newspaper is not edited by Veton Surroi but by his sister Flaka Surroi, and that the newspaper was doing its job when they published the SMS-messages.Dell is creator and distributor of rumours http://www.koha.net/arkiva/?page=1,13,106860

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koha Ditore Newspapers published in Kosovo Newspapers established in 1997 Mass media in Pristina

See also

References