Newspaper of record

For the horse, see Newspaperofrecord.

A newspaper of record is a major national newspaper with large circulation whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered authoritative and independent; they are thus "newspapers of record by reputation" and include some of the oldest and most widely respected newspapers in the world. The number and trend of "newspapers of record by reputation" is related to the state of press freedom and political freedom in a country.^[1][2]

The New York Times Building in Midtown Manhattan. Some meanings of the term originated in reference to The New York Times.

It may also be a newspaper authorized to publish public or legal notices, thus serving as a newspaper of public record. A newspaper whose editorial content is directed by the state can be referred to as an official newspaper of record, but the lack of editorial independence means that it is not a "newspaper of record by reputation". Newspapers of record by reputation that focus on business can also be called newspapers of financial record.^[1][2]

Newspapers of public record

Paris headquarters of Le Figaro, France's centre-right newspaper of record (public record and by reputation)

A "newspaper of public record", or government gazette, refers to a publicly available newspaper that is authorized by a government to publish public or legal notices.^[3] It is often established by statute or official action and publication of notices within it, whether by the government or a private party, is considered sufficient to comply with legal requirements for public notice.^[4] Such gazettes may have minimal or no editorial content (opinion articles), and are focused on public notification of state services and state decisions; an example is Latvia's Latvijas Vēstnesis.^[5]

In some jurisdictions, privately owned newspapers may register with the government to publish public and legal notices, or be otherwise eligible to publish such notices (terms used may include "newspaper of general circulation" among others).^[6][7][8] Likewise, a private newspaper may be designated by the courts for publication of legal notices, such as notices of fictitious business names, if judicial and statutory standards are met.^[9][10] These are sometimes called "legally adjudicated newspapers".^[11]

Government organs

The term "newspapers of public record" can also denote those owned and operated by a government that directs their entire editorial content. Such newspapers, while pejoratively termed "state mouthpieces", can also be called "official newspapers of record", independently of whether they publish legal notices - distinguishing them from a gazette whose primary role is to publish notices, as their entire content represents the official view and doctrine of the state. This kind of official newspaper is distinct from newspapers of record by reputation, and is liable to fail the reputation criterion due to its governmental control. The word "official" can be used to distinguish them from "newspapers of record by reputation". Examples include Russia's Rossiyskaya Gazeta,^[12] North Korea's Rodong Sinmun,^[13] and China's People's Daily.^[14]

Newspapers of record by reputation

First edition of Neue Zürcher Zeitung (1780), the world's oldest newspaper of record by reputation

The second type of "newspaper of record" (also "journal of record", or in French presse de référence) is not defined by formal criteria, and its characteristics vary. The category comprises newspapers that are considered to meet high standards of journalism, including editorial independence (particularly from the government and from its owners), accountability (mistakes are acknowledged), attention to detail and accuracy, and comprehensiveness and balance of coverage;^[15] they are regarded internationally (as well as in their own country/region) by major global outlets.^[16][17]

Despite changes in society, newspapers of record by reputation have historically tended to maintain a similar tone, coverage, style, and traditions; many are over a century old and some over two centuries old (e.g., Neue Zürcher Zeitung, The Times, The Guardian, Le Figaro, and The Sydney Morning Herald).^[16] Newspapers of record by reputation can be respected for the accuracy and quality of their reporting and still be either ideologically conservative (e.g., The Wall Street Journal and The Telegraph) or ideologically liberal (e.g., The Washington Post and The Guardian).^[18]

Although many countries are proud of their newspapers of record by reputation, in some countries they face an openly hostile state or political system that tries to suppress their press freedoms. Examples are Turkey's Cumhuriyet, where many of the staff have been imprisoned;^[19] Panama's La Prensa, where staff have been shot and the owners forced into exile;^[20] and Venezuela's El Nacional,^[21] which was forced out of print when the state seized its assets (see examples of fallen newspapers of record).^[22]

Etymology

The term is believed to have originated among librarians who began referring to The New York Times as the "newspaper of record" when it became the first U.S. newspaper in 1913 to publish an index of the subjects it covered.^[18][23] In recognition of that usage, The New York Times held an essay contest in 1927 in which entrants had to demonstrate "The Value of The New York Times Index and Files as a Newspaper of Record". The New York Times, and other newspapers of its type sought to chronicle events, acting as a record of the day's announcements, schedules, directories, proceedings, transcripts, and appointments. By 2004, The New York Times no longer considered itself a newspaper of record in the original, literal sense.^[24]

Over time, historians relied on The New York Times and similar titles as a reliable archival and historical record of significant past events, and a gauge of societal opinions at the time of printing. The term "newspaper of record" evolved from its original literal sense to that newer meaning.^[23]

The derived term "financial (or business) newspaper of record" is attributed to The Wall Street Journal,^[25][26] the Financial Times,^[27] and to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei).^[28] While newspapers of record by reputation are typically major widely-read national (and international) publications, subject-specific newspapers of record also exist (see examples of subject-specific newspapers of record).

Examples of existing newspapers

Country	Region	Logo	Name	City of publication	Founded	Language	Refs.
Argentina	South America		La Nación	Buenos Aires	1870	Spanish	[21][29][30]
Australia	Oceania		The Age	Melbourne	1854	English	[15][18]
			The Sydney Morning Herald	Sydney	1831		[31][15][18]
Austria	West Europe		Die Presse	Vienna	1848[a]	German	[33]
			Der Standard		1988		[34]
Bahamas	North America		The Nassau Guardian	Nassau	1844	English	[35]
Bangladesh	South Asia		The Daily Star	Dhaka	1991	English	[36][37]
Belgium	West Europe		Le Soir	Brussels	1887	French	[38]
			De Standaard	Groot-Bijgaarden	1918	Dutch	[39]
Bolivia	South America		El Diario	La Paz	1904	Spanish	[40]
Brazil	South America		O Estado de S. Paulo	São Paulo	1875	Portuguese	[41][42]
			Folha de S.Paulo		1921		[43]
			O Globo	Rio de Janeiro	1925		[21]
Canada	North America		Le Devoir	Montreal	1910	French	[44]
			La Presse		1884		[45][46]
			The Globe and Mail	Toronto	1844[b]	English	[47][48][49][50][18]
Chile	South America		El Mercurio	Santiago	1900[c]	Spanish	[21][51]
Colombia	South America		El Tiempo	Bogotá	1911	Spanish	[21][52][53]
			El Espectador	Bogotá	1887[54]	Spanish	[55][56][57]
Costa Rica	Central America		La Nación	San José	1946	Spanish	[58][59][60]
Czech Republic	East Europe		Lidové noviny	Prague	1893	Czech	[61]
Denmark	North Europe		Berlingske	Copenhagen	1749[d]	Danish	[62][63][64]
Dominican Republic	North America		Listín Diario	Santo Domingo	1889	Spanish	[65][66]
Ecuador	South America		El Comercio	Quito	1921	Spanish	[21][67][68]
Egypt	North Africa		Al-Ahram	Cairo	1875	Arabic	[69][70][71]
			Al-Masry Al-Youm		2004		[72]
Finland	North Europe		Helsingin Sanomat	Helsinki	1889	Finnish	[62][73]
France	West Europe		Le Figaro	Paris	1826[e]	French	[75][76][77]
			Libération		1973		[75][78]
			Le Monde		1944[f]		[75][79][80][77]
Germany	West Europe		Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung	Frankfurt	1949[g]	German	[81][82][51]
			Der Spiegel	Hamburg	1947		[83][84][85][86]
			Süddeutsche Zeitung	Munich	1945		[81][87]
			Die Welt	Berlin	1946		[88]
			Die Zeit	Hamburg	1946		[87][77]
Greece	South Europe		Kathimerini	Athens	1919	Greek	[89][90]
Guatemala	North America		Prensa Libre	Guatemala City	1951	Spanish	[91]
Haiti	North America		Le Nouvelliste	Port-au-Prince	1898	French	[92][93]
Hong Kong	East Asia		South China Morning Post	Hong Kong	1903	English	[94][95]
Iceland	North Europe		Morgunblaðið	Reykjavík	1913	Icelandic	[96][97]
India	South Asia		The Hindu	Chennai	1878	English	[98][99]
			The Times of India	Mumbai	1838[h]		[18][100][15]
Indonesia	Southeast Asia		Kompas	Jakarta	1965	Indonesian	[101][102]
Iran	West Asia		Ettela'at	Tehran	1926	Persian	[103][104]
Ireland	North Europe		The Irish Times	Dublin	1859	English	[105][15][106]
Israel	West Asia		Haaretz	Tel Aviv	1919	Hebrew and English	[107][108][109][110][18]
Italy	South Europe		Il Sole 24 Ore	Milan	1965	Italian	[111]
			Corriere della Sera	Milan	1876		[112][113][114][77]
			La Stampa	Turin	1867		[115][77]
			la Repubblica	Rome	1976		[114]
			Il Messaggero	Rome	1878		[116]
Jamaica	North America		The Gleaner	Kingston	1834	English	[117][118]
Japan	East Asia		The Asahi Shimbun	Osaka	1879	Japanese and English	[119][120][121]
			Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei)	Tokyo	1876		[28]
			Yomiuri Shimbun		1874		[122]
			Mainichi Shimbun		1872		[123]
Kenya	East Africa		Daily Nation	Nairobi	1960[i]	English	[124][125][126]
Lebanon	West Asia		An-Nahar	Beirut	1933	Arabic	[127]
Malaysia	Southeast Asia		New Straits Times[j]	Kuala Lumpur	1965[k]	English	[128][129][130]
Mexico	North America		Excélsior	Mexico City	1917	Spanish	[131]
			Reforma		1993		[21]
Netherlands	West Europe		NRC	Amsterdam	1970[l]	Dutch	[132]
New Zealand	Oceania		The New Zealand Herald	Auckland	1863	English	[15][133]
Nigeria	West Africa		The Guardian	Lagos	1983	English	[134][135][136]
North Korea	East Asia		Rodong Sinmun	Pyongyang	1945	Korean	[137]
Norway	North Europe		Aftenposten	Oslo	1860	Norwegian (Riksmål)	[62][138]
Pakistan	South Asia		Dawn	Karachi	1941	English	[139][140][141]
	South Asia		Jang	Karachi	1939	Urdu	[142][143]
Panama	North America		La Prensa	Panama City	1980	Spanish	[144][145][20]
Paraguay	South America		ABC Color	Asunción	1967	Spanish	[146]
Peru	South America		El Comercio	Lima	1839	Spanish	[21]
Philippines	Southeast Asia		Philippine Daily Inquirer	Makati	1985	English	[147][148]
Poland	East Europe		Gazeta Wyborcza	Warsaw	1989	Polish	[149][150]
			Rzeczpospolita		1920[m]		[149][151]
Portugal	South Europe		Diário de Notícias	Lisbon	1864	Portuguese	[152][153]
			Público	Lisbon	1990		[154][155][156]
Republic of the Congo	Central Africa		La Semaine Africaine	Brazzaville	1952	French	[157][158]
Romania	Central Europe		Adevărul	Bucharest	1871	Romanian	[159][160][161]
Serbia	South Europe		Politika	Belgrade	1904	Serbian	[162][163]
			Danas	Belgrade	1997		[164]
Singapore	Southeast Asia		The Straits Times[j]	Singapore	1845	English	[128][129][165]
South Africa	South Africa		Mail & Guardian	Johannesburg	1985	English	[166][167]
South Korea	East Asia		The Chosun Ilbo	Seoul	1920	Korean	[168]
			The Dong-A Ilbo		1920		[168]
			JoongAng Ilbo		1965		[168]
Spain	South Europe		La Vanguardia	Barcelona	1881	Spanish	[169]
			El Mundo	Madrid	1989		[170][77]
			El País		1976		[171][172][77]
Sweden	North Europe		Dagens Nyheter	Stockholm	1864	Swedish	[62][173]
Switzerland	West Europe		Neue Zürcher Zeitung	Zurich	1780	German	[174][175][176][77]
			Le Temps	Geneva	1998[n]	French	[177][176][178]
Thailand	Southeast Asia		Bangkok Post	Bangkok	1946	English	[179][180][181][182]
Trinidad and Tobago	North America		Trinidad and Tobago Guardian	Port of Spain	1917	English	[183][184]
Turkey	West Asia		Cumhuriyet	Istanbul	1924	Turkish	[19]
United Kingdom	North Europe		The Daily Telegraph	London	1855	English	[15][185][18]
			Financial Times		1888		[15][18][27][77]
			The Guardian		1821[o]		[18][77][100]
			The Times		1785[p]		[185][15][18]
United States	North America		Los Angeles Times	Los Angeles	1881	English	[15][18]
			The New York Times	New York City	1851		[15][18][186][187]
			The Wall Street Journal		1889		[15][18][77][188]
			The Washington Post	Washington, D.C.	1877		[15][18][77][188]
Vatican City	South Europe		L'Osservatore Romano	Rome	1861	Italian, English, French, Spanish, German, Polish, and Portuguese	[189][190]

Examples of fallen newspapers

The former headquarters of El Nacional, Venezuela's long-standing newspaper of record,^[21] which was seized by the state in 2018 and forced out of newsprint production^[22]

Over time, some established newspapers of record by reputation have lost their status due to financial collapse, take-over or merger by another entity that did not have the same standards or allowed increased government control and suppression of the paper's editorial independence. The existence of newspapers of record by reputation is an aspect of the level of press freedom and political freedom in a country, with major first-world democracies having several such newspapers (e.g. United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Italy and Japan); in contrast, countries that have seen a decline in their newspapers of record by reputation can represent a decline in levels of personal and political freedom (e.g. Zimbabwe, Venezuela, and Cambodia).^[1]

Examples include:

• Zimbabwe's The Herald, lost its status as an established newspaper of record when it was eventually taken over by Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.^[191]
• Venezuela's newspaper of record, El Nacional,^[21] was forced out of print by the state in 2018, and its headquarters was given to a high-ranking official.^[22]
• London-based pan-Arab newspaper of record, Al-Hayat, ceased in 2020 due to financial and political pressures.^[192][193]
• In Cambodia, the Hun Sen administration forced both of Cambodia's newspapers of record out of business using contrived tax fines that resulted in the closure of The Cambodia Daily in 2017,^[194][195] and the sale of The Phnom Penh Post to a close ally of the Hun Sen administration in 2018.^[196][197]
• Latvian newspaper Diena saw its established status as a newspaper of record diminish after a 2010 takeover, with the Historical Dictionary of Latvia (2017) listing it as "holding tenuously to a popular newspaper-of-record sentiment at home and abroad" due to "questions of ownership and if said owners influence newspaper content".^[198]
• Népszabadság, Hungary's de facto newspaper of record, ceased publication in 2016 due to political and financial pressure.^[199]

See also

• Freedom of the press
• Grupo de Diarios América
• List of national newspapers
• List of government gazettes
• Weekly newspaper

Notes

1. Staff split in 1864 to form Neue Freie Presse, aryanized by the Nazis in 1938 and closed in 1939, reestablished as Die Presse in 1946.^[32]
2. Successor to The Globe (founded 1844), The Toronto Mail (1872) and Toronto Empire (1887); papers merged in 1895 and 1936.
3. Spun off from El Mercurio de Valparaíso (founded 1827).
4. Named Berlingske Tidende until 2011.
5. Le Figaro is France's oldest national newspaper still operating to this date.^[74]
6. Founded as a successor to the discredited collaborationist Le Temps (founded 1861).
7. Considered a successor to the Frankfurter Zeitung (founded 1856), banned in 1943 by the Nazis.
8. Named The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce until mergers in 1860–1.
9. Originated as the Swahili Taifa in 1958.
10. The Straits Times and New Straits Times were qualified as "semi-official newspapers of record" in the Encyclopedia of Journalism (2009) as "each is tightly connected to the dominant political party of their respective countries".^[128]
11. Spun off from The Straits Times (founded 1845) upon Singapore's independence.
12. Merger of Algemeen Handelsblad (founded 1828) and Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant (1844).
13. Dissolved in 1931 and revived in 1944, second dissolution in 1951, revived again in 1982.
14. Merger of Journal de Genève (founded 1826), Gazette de Lausanne (1798), and Nouveau Quotidien (1991).
15. Founded as The Manchester Guardian, adopted its present name in 1959.
16. Named The Daily Universal Register until 1788.