Rumours about the Press' real owners being some of Serbia's most powerful politically connected business tycoons was rampant with individuals like Miroslav Mišković and Dragan Đilas often mentioned in this regard.
The company quickly established itself on the Serbian media market, receiving accolades[2] and posting good business returns.
[3] Then in May 2009, the ownership was restructured with Stefanović's 40% stake divided amongst 4 individuals: Biljana Kralj (22%), Đoko Kesić (6%), Dragan J. Vučićević (6%), and Svetomir Marjanović (6%).
[5] In mid December 2005, Press became the latest in a growing list of Serbian print media outlets that came into existence due to a group of journalists leaving their previous place of employment en masse to launch a new paper.
Public accusations of corruption and political skullduggery started flying thick and fast between Kurir owner Radisav Rodić on one side and Kesić-Vučićević editing duo on the other.
Though they felt Kurir became what it is in large part due to their own efforts and skills, Kesić & Vučićević decided not to pursue the matter further legally and ended the issue by naming their new tabloid Press, instead.
In late November 2008, Press began running a series of articles about Bojan Krišto, CEO of the state-owned company JP Aerodrom Beograd which operates Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport.
Opposition MPs demanded his resignation along with pressing criminal charges while even the President of Serbia Boris Tadić chimed in, calling the situation unacceptable.
The very next day Press responded to this by saying they will present Dinkić with all the details of that particular business deal and demand that he issue a public apology for the "libelous remark".
UNS is further criticizing the current Serbian government (led by Dačić and Vučić) for not delivering on one of its first promises upon taking office — discussing Verica Barać's report that clearly identified murky ownership structure of media outlets as the biggest threat to press freedom in Serbia.
If it doesn't determine once and for all why the Serbian media market turned into Wild West where everybody deceives everybody when it comes to ownership structure and circulation figures, this government will share the responsibility for the situation with the previous one.
It would be good if the Press' other owner — the still clandestine one — finally owned up and took responsibility for the paper's finances thereby helping the journalists re-form their newspaper, hopefully this time without debts to tycoons".
He said on the occasion: "Towards the end of 2010, Press got hijacked and taken away from me and the other founders by the people from top echelons of the authorities that ran Serbia at the time.
From the second half of 2010 until I eventually left in late December 2011 when they wouldn't allow me to continue writing my column, I was neither involved in the paper's business nor its editorial policy.