The Hornet Newspaper will turn 71 in mid February 2017. This is the oldest Bulgarian newspaper published without a break and without changing name and character. Generations of Bulgarians grew up with it and people treasure it not just for its sense of humor but for its satirical prickly sting. It has even become part of our slang – a member of the Bulgarian Parliament used to start all his speeches with the words “Now let us see where has the horned flied” – an idiom for a job well done.

My life is connected with this newspaper. Nearly forty years ago I printed my first feuilleton here, not even suspecting that writing feuilletons will become my profession and that this office will become my one and only work place. I went though many positions at the Hornet – I was a handyman at first, an office party organizer, a wine-delivery guy and a driver of the editor-in-chief… Today I am the editor-in-chief and my own driver.

In its over 70 years of history the newspaper went through interesting times. But the most honest, the truest time was the last quarter of the century – from 1991 to date. Since then the newspaper has been independent – there are no political parties or economic groupings behind it, no shady businessmen or money with unclear origins, as is the case with most Bulgarian media. Our independence gives us freedom to write and draw what our conscience dictates us – this is the most important thing for any satirist.

Nowadays, free and independent media are hard to survive. To be bought in mass, the newspaper should be painted yellow in the color of boulevard press. To provoke readers’ attention with gossip and scandals, with lies and half-truths which are nowadays called post-truths. And the Bulgarian version of the post-truths are vulgar-truths.

My goal as an editor-in-chief is to saveguard the newspaper and at the same time keep it away from the mass vulgarization of today’s media. This  does not bring us market success, on the contrary. Our circulation is not in the tens of thousands but those 8,000 who buy The Hornet value us for our honest citizen’s position and for our efforts to defend it in each issue. I often meet with readers and fans in Bulgaria and abroad. At those meetings – in Burgas or Pazardjik, in Brussels or Munich, people mostly ask how we manage to keep going. And I always honestly say the fact that the Hornet still exists is also thanks to the America for Bulgaria Foundation which has been supporting us for several years. The Foundation’s financial support is not the only one but is very important for us – a helping hand that gives us economic stability. And what is most important, I say at such meetings, is that this helping hand has never directed us or instructed us what to write or draw. The Foundation has never interfered in our editorial policy, that is why our relations with it are friendly, honest and transparent.

To be the editor-in-chief of such and old and prominent newspaper such as the Hornet is a huge responsibility. If the newspaper seizes to exist during my tenure, what would history say: the Hornet was founded by famous writers – Valeri Petrov, Bogomil Raynov, Pavel Vezhinov and was liquidated by some little known Veshim… That is why I’m have such responsibility for the newspaper. And I have an obligation – once the satirical weekly gave me a lot by making my name popular, today I’m giving it everything I can…

I read somewhere that when the last bee disappears, a few years later the entire human race will disappear. If The Hornet disappears it will not have an impact on the entire human race but Bulgaria will surely become sadder.

Mihail Veshim, Editor-in-chief, The Hornet Newspaper