Eulogy by Jose Antonio Martinez Soler, founder of the Spanish free paper 20 Minutos, honoring Tinius Nagell-Ericksen, main shareholder and vice president of the Schibsted Group.
Oslo, November 21, 2007
Dear friends,
It was a great honor for me to have been invited by Kjell Aamot to attend the funeral for Tinius Nagell-Ericksen and to be here with all of you: his family, friends and colleagues. I am honored even more that Kjell, Sverre and Hans Erik thought of me to say a few words (briefly, they emphasized, because they know how much I love microphones!) on behalf of Schibsted’s international family, about what Tinius has meant for those of us who are not Scandinavians (yet).
Thank you, Kjell, Sverre and Hans Erik.
The first time I heard the name Tinius was in the spring of 2001 in Madrid. It was during our road show to sell our company Multiprensa (the publisher of 20 minutos in Spain), founded 2 years earlier in the basement of my house.
Norwegians, Swedes and Italians were the finalists and the Swedish bid was, by very little difference, the highest in monetary terms.
I cannot deny the influence of my mother-in-law (100% Norwegian) in the decision to sell our company to Schibsted. She said:
- “Jose, don’t even think about selling it to the Swedes or the Italians! Uff Da!
In these sad hours of sharing confidences, I must say, in memory of Tinius, that the decision was settled when Arsenio Escolar, the Editor in chief, and I, as the CEO, responded to the question of our then President, Julio Ortega:
-“Who would you like the most as the new owner of our company?”
Both Arsenio, as much as myself, were very clear: “The Norwegians,” we answered.
And for two very important reasons:
First, we had studied the Schibsted model of 20 minuten in Zurich and it was as local as ours, while Metro was more global.
Second, and last but not least: Schibsted guaranteed us freedom of expression, editorial independence, credibility and quality – and all in writing!
They did this through a foundation they called the Tinius Trust.
-“Tinius, the Norwegians told us, was the largest shareholder and had been a journalist as well as an owner, and most importantly, he encourages freedom and independence in his media.”
-“Say no more,” we both thought immediately.
And here we are.
We staked our decision on the Tinius Trust’s guarantee of freedom of the press.
This freedom is such a marvelous plant; a plant though fragile and delicate.
As you probably realize, for centuries it was an exotic foreign plant that could not thrive in Spain.
And now, Schibsted is defending and cultivating this marvelous plant in 20 counties with many different languages.
I also have been a journalist both in the Franco dictatorship and in democracy before being a founder of newspapers and companies, and I assure you that I truly appreciate how much freedom of expression is worth.
For freedom, like oxygen, is most valued when it is lacking.
I had a lack of freedom during too many years of my life and I have fought, and I still fight for it, as Tinius has taught us through his life and work, and his noble and generous Tinius Trust.
Seven years have gone by since we sold our company, and thanks to the spirit and letter of the Tinius Trust, under the direction and support of Kjell Aamot and of my direct bosses, first Birger Magnus and now Sverre Munck, the miracle of “ensuring freedom and independence” in 20 minutos in Spain was indeed possible.
And we accomplished, the better we can, the three fundamental principles of Schibsted:
-(1) Have fun, (2) make money and (3) with integrity.
When we preach in Spain or in Latin America the values of the Tinius Trust (religious freedom, tolerance, human rights and democratic principles), which we proclaim and defend with pride, our colleagues look at us with healthy envy.
For this reason, and with pride and gratitude, I wish to say at this sad and emotional time for all of us, that I have never enjoyed in my entire professional life (in more than 20 companies) as much freedom, independence and trust as in 20 minutos España, governed in accordance to the values that Tinius defended and given to all of us to guarantee a future of freedom of the press.
El Cid Campeador (The Champion Knight) was a legendary medieval Spanish knight from Burgos (the land where Arsenio was born) who is famed for winning epic battles even after death.
Likewise, Tinius, through his professional and ethics principles that inspired his work, along with his shining example of personal integrity and love of freedom will continue to win important future battles for the Schibsted Group.
The trail that Tinius left for us to follow will help us all to continue ahead on the right track of freedom of expression.
Tinius would have liked the phrase of Don Quijote that my father recited to me when I was a child:
-“Freedom, Sancho, is one of the most precious gifts that the heavens have given unto man. It cannot equal all the treasures that the earth holds nor all those that the seas cover: for this, one should, and one must, stake his life!”
Thank you, Tinius, for defending your freedom and our freedom.
We will never forget your message and your example.
Rest in peace.
Well, we need more Tinius Nagell-Ericksens, and more Jose Antonio Martinez Solers.
And more Schibsted groups.
Passionate journalists.
Passionate journalism.
Tags: 20 Minutos, Arnsenio Escolar, Free papers, Jose Antonio Martinez Soler, Multiprensa, Norway, Oslo, Schibsted Group, Spain, Tinius Nagell-Ericksen, Tinius Trust, freedom
