14 Facts About Hans Dichand

Hans Dichand was an Austrian journalist, writer, and media businessman.

Hans Dichand did so, while attending evening courses for his high school education.

When World War II began 18-year-old Hans Dichand volunteered for the Kriegsmarine and was initially stationed at Naples, for service in an anti-aircraft detachment tasked with protecting the naval supply routes for the North African theatre.

Again according to the self-written or approved biographies, Hans Dichand was released from British captivity in October 1945, returned to Graz in November, and became a journalist at the British news service for Allied-occupied Austria where he was tasked with recording content broadcast by the BBC radio service and with processing it for publication in the Neue Steirischen Zeitung.

In 1946, at age 25, Hans Dichand became editor-in-chief of the Judenburg newspaper Murtaler Zeitung which at that time was jointly owned by the conservative, socialist, and communist parties of Austria.

Related searches

In 1954 Hans Dichand became editor in chief of the Wiener Kurier, the predecessor of today's Kurier.

However, Hans Dichand soon faced increasing opposition from his staff because he prevented extensive reporting on the many legal proceedings against war criminals that were ongoing at this time.

Hans Dichand managed to control this internal opposition but left in 1958 when differences of opinion developed with the newspaper's owner over the sale of the recently acquired newspaper Bildtelegraph.

When Dichand walked away from the Wiener Kurier in October 1958 six leading journalists left with him.

Newspaper which Hans Dichand created and shaped allowed him to attain a position of public opinion-moving power which most politicians feel they could oppose only at the peril of their careers.

Kronen Zeitung had supported the Austrian government's successful referendum campaign for EU accession in 1994, but after that time Hans Dichand turned highly critical of the European Union and its expansion, frequently citing the most bizarre myths and making unverifiable allegations.

Hans Dichand was briefly hospitalized after suffering a fall in August 2008 but soon returned to his personal office from where he directed the Kronen Zeitung as its chief executive and 50-percent owner, although in 2003 he installed his youngest son Christoph as his successor in the role of editor in chief.

Hans Dichand, who was married, had another son and a daughter, Johanna.

Hans Dichand dismissed as baseless a rumor that had claimed the head of the socialdemocratic party and chancellor of Austria, Werner Faymann to be an extramarital son.