The Faculty of Journalism at Sofia University

Our dear colleague and teacher Prof. Philip Panayotov passed away on June 14, 2023, days before his 90th birthday, which we were preparing to celebrate at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communications. Alas, we will now have to say, "Farewell, Professor!"

Prof. Philip Panayotov was one of the first professors and a long-time pillar of the Journalism Major and then of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communications. He was lecturer in History of Bulgarian Journalism, deputy Dean, Head of the Department of History and Theory of Journalism, honoured with the Blue Ribbon Badge of Honour of the Sofia University.

Professor. Philip Panayotov was also a profound researcher of the history of Bulgarian journalism and press, who even before 1989 was not a slave to dogmas. He managed to raise dangerous questions and forbidden topics, to write books such as "The Lark", "Duel in the Airwaves", "To Withstand Everything", "Joseph Herbst", "Dr. Krustyu Rakovski", "And the Dead Will Speak", "The Truth No One Believed", "Newspapers and Newspapermen". A brilliant polemicist and publicist, he dared to direct his sharp pen at the powerful of the day.

We can call prof. Philip Panayotov both a visionary and a builder of modern media. Even as a young journalist he became editor-in-chief of the Pulse newspaper, Youth magazine. He became the founder and editor-in-chief of the unique for its time newspaper ABV for books, where he gathered a team of young talented journalists. Later he founded and became the first director of the University Publishing House "St. Kliment Ohridski", which quickly became a significant academic and cultural factor.

Prof. Philip Panayotov leaves us the example of an intellectual with a courageous civic position, of an insightful researcher of the most burning issues of the Bulgarian media and society, he leaves hundreds of alumni and followers for whose professional and life development he has made an invaluable contribution.