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 level and trend of "newspapers of record by reputation" is regarded as being related to the state of press freedom and political freedom in a country. [1] [2]
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 largely 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]
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 usually considered sufficient to comply with legal requirements for public notice. [4] Such gazettes often have little editorial content (i.e. opinion articles), and are focused on the transmission of information to the public regarding state services and state decisions; an example is Latvia's Latvijas Vēstnesis . [5]
In some jurisdictions, privately owned newspapers may register with the public authorities 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 certain judicial and statutory standards are met. [9] [10] These are sometimes called "legally adjudicated newspapers". [11]
The term "newspapers of public record" can also be used to denote those that are 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 or not it also publishes legal notices - distinguishing them from a gazette whose primary role is to publish notices, as their entire editorial copy represents the official view and doctrine of the State. This kind of official newspaper should not be confused with newspapers of record by reputation or for their reliability, and in fact are liable to fail the reputation criterial due to the level of governmental control involved. Inclusion of the word "official" can be used to separate them from "newspapers of record by reputation". Notable examples include Russia's Rossiyskaya Gazeta , [12] North Korea's Rodong Sinmun , [13] and China's People's Daily . [14]
The second type of "newspaper of record" (also known as a "journal of record", or by the French term presse de référence) is not defined by any formal criteria, and their characteristics can vary. The category typically consists of those newspapers that are considered to meet higher standards of journalism than most print media, including editorial independence (particularly from the ruling government and from its owners), accountability (mistakes are acknowledged), attention to detail and accuracy, and comprehensiveness and balance of coverage; [15] they are often renowned internationally, and regarded as sources in their country and/or region by other 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 newspapers of record are over a century old, with some close to, or over, two centuries old (e.g. Neue Zürcher Zeitung , The Times , The Guardian , Le Figaro , and The Sydney Morning Herald ). [16] Some newspapers of record by reputation, while respected for the accuracy and quality of their reporting, can still be recognized as ideologically conservative (e.g. The Wall Street Journal and The Telegraph ) or liberal (e.g. The Washington Post and The Guardian ). [18]
While 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 include Turkey's Cumhuriyet , where many of the staff have been imprisoned, [19] Panama's La Prensa , where staff has been shot and the owners forced into exile, [20] and Venezuela's El Nacional , [21] which was effectively forced out of print by the state who seized all their assets (see examples of fallen newspapers of record). [22]
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 covered in its pages. [18] [23] In recognition of the 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, then sought to be chroniclers of events, acting as a record of the day's announcements, schedules, directories, proceedings, transcripts, and appointments. The New York Times no longer considers 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 its currently understood 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).
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:
Svenska Dagbladet, abbreviated SvD, is a daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden.
The Times is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register, adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Media, since 1981 a subsidiary of News UK, in turn wholly owned by News Corp. The Times and The Sunday Times, which do not share editorial staff, were founded independently and have had common ownership only since 1966. In general, the political position of The Times is considered to be centre-right.
Haaretz is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. It is published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with The New York Times International Edition. Its Hebrew and English editions are available on the internet. In North America, it is published as a weekly newspaper, combining articles from the Friday edition with a roundup from the rest of the week. Haaretz is Israel's newspaper of record. It is known for its left-wing and liberal stances on domestic and foreign issues.
Le Figaro is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in a play by polymath Beaumarchais (1732–1799); one of his lines became the paper's motto: "Without the freedom to criticise, there is no flattering praise".
Le Monde is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including 40,000 sold abroad. It has been available online since 1995, and it is often the only French newspaper easily obtainable in non-French-speaking countries. It should not be confused with the monthly publication Le Monde diplomatique, of which Le Monde has 51% ownership, but which is editorially independent.
Dagens Nyheter, abbreviated DN, is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It is published in Stockholm and aspires to full national and international coverage, and is widely considered Sweden's newspaper of record.
The Times of India, also known by its abbreviation TOI, is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the fourth-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest selling English-language daily in the world. It is the oldest English-language newspaper in India, and the second-oldest Indian newspaper still in circulation, with its first edition published in 1838. It is nicknamed as "The Old Lady of Bori Bunder", and is an Indian "newspaper of record".
The Yomiuri Shimbun (讀賣新聞/読売新聞) is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are The Asahi Shimbun, the Chunichi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, and the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. It is headquartered in Otemachi, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
The Asahi Shimbun is one of the five largest newspapers in Japan. Founded in 1879, it is also one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. Its circulation, which was 4.57 million for its morning edition and 1.33 million for its evening edition as of July 2021, was second behind that of the Yomiuri Shimbun. By print circulation, it is the second largest newspaper in the world behind the Yomiuri, though its digital size trails that of many global newspapers including The New York Times.
ABC is a Spanish national daily newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is the sixth-largest general-interest newspaper in Spain, number one in Madrid, and the oldest newspaper still operating in Madrid. Along with El Mundo and El País, it is one of Spain's three newspapers of record.
The Straits Times is a Singaporean daily English-language newspaper owned by the SPH Media Trust. Established on 15 July 1845, it is the most-widely circulated newspaper in the country and has a significant regional audience. The newspaper is published in the broadsheet format and online, the latter of which was launched in 1994. It is regarded as the newspaper of record for Singapore.
El País is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. El País is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA.
El Mundo, before El Mundo del Siglo Veintiuno, is the second largest printed daily newspaper in Spain. The paper is considered one of the country's newspapers of record along with El País and ABC.
Público is a Portuguese daily national newspaper of record published in Lisbon, Portugal.
La Vanguardia is a Spanish daily newspaper, founded in 1881. It is printed in Spanish and, since 3 May 2011, also in Catalan. It has its headquarters in Barcelona and is Catalonia's leading newspaper.
Uusi Suomi was a Finnish daily newspaper that was published from 1919 to 1991. The headquarters was in Helsinki, Finland.
El Correo is a leading daily newspaper in Bilbao and the Basque Country of northern Spain. It is among best-selling general interest newspapers in Spain.
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports, art, and science. They often include materials such as opinion columns, weather forecasts, reviews of local services, obituaries, birth notices, crosswords, editorial cartoons, comic strips, and advice columns.
El Diario Vasco is a Spanish morning daily newspaper based in San Sebastián, Basque Country.
The International Herald Tribune (IHT) was a daily English-language newspaper published in Paris, France for international English-speaking readers. It had the aim of becoming "the world's first global newspaper" and could fairly be said to have met that goal. It published under the name International Herald Tribune starting in 1967, but its origins as an international newspaper trace back to 1887. Sold in over 160 countries, the International Herald Tribune was an innovative newspaper that continued to produce a large amount of unique content until its closure in 2013.
... a line that appeared in Rodong Sinmun (Rodong Sinmun, 1999, 29) the official newspaper of record in North Korea.
Most significantly, the People's Daily, China's official newspaper of record, had a special signed editorial attacking Australia's government and media.
...because Cumhuriyet, the country's newspaper of record that is committed to secularism...
For the past 15 years, Mr. Eisenmann has led Panama's internationally respected daily newspaper of record, La Prensa, as founding editor and publisher.
...the newspaper of record in any country is compulsory reading for political, business, and cultural leaders and the most prestigious such papers in the region, organized into the Grupo de Diarios America, are La Nacion (Buenos Aires, Argentina), O Globo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), El Tiempo (Bogota, Colombia), El Mercurio (Santiago, Chile), El Comercio (Ecuador), Reforma (Mexico), El Nuevo Dia Interactivo (Puerto Rico), El Comercio (Lima, Peru), El Pais (Montevideo, Uruguay), and El Nacional (Caracas, Venezuela)
The Wall Street Journal is the financial newspaper of record
...the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the business or financial newspaper of record, had three million;...
In spite of the readership crisis in the United States, The New York Times is a newspaper of record in many countries, as is Le Monde in France or La Nación in Argentina.
The country's newspaper of record is La Nación.
The Nassau Guardian, founded in 1844, is the country's newspaper of record and one of the oldest continuously published newspapers in the Western Hemisphere.
Reports on the demands of the students that were published on the Daily Star, often considered Bangladesh's newspaper of record, ....
Bangladesh: The first and most articles (19) appear in The Daily Star, often considered the newspaper of record.
... Bruno Colmant, head of the Brussels stock exchange and professor of economics, published an oped in Le Soir, the Frenchlanguage daily newspaper of record, stating that ...
For example, the Flemish newspaper of record, De Standaard, published an ...
It is the...country's newspaper of record. O Estado is sometimes called the "New York Times of Latin America" because of its grave editorial demeanour.
The statement, published on Tuesday by O Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazil's newspaper of record, was datelined in Fortaleza, a mid-sized city in northeastern Brazil.
The daily Folha de São Paulo is Brazil's newspaper of record
[T]he Toronto-based Globe and Mail has had the kind of success in Canada that the New York Times had enjoyed in the U.S., as the leading 'newspaper of record' with a national readership.
This essay interrogates representations of Afghan women in the Globe and Mail, Canada's major English-language daily and newspaper of record.
Germany's FAZ [Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung] and Chile's El Mercurio are each nation's newspaper of record.
Luis Carlos Sarmiento, who has a $14bn fortune, according to Forbes, in 2012 bought El Tiempo, Colombia's largest-circulation daily and the newspaper of record.
On January 19th in Bogota, the city section of El Tiempo, Colombia's newspaper of record, ran a report which sent shivers through most urban readers.
Lidové noviny is traditionally held to be the Czech Republic's paper of record.
... generally regarded as Denmark's leading paper.
At the time, Camilla Plum, a Danish food writer and TV personality, was quoted in Denmark's newspaper of record, Berlingske, lambasting the manifesto's toothlessness.
Their relations were destined to end abruptly shortly thereafter, but as long as they lasted the report on their marriage along with their photos were featured on the front page of al-Ahram, Egypt's newspaper of record.
This is significant because the state-run Al Ahram is considered the paper of record in Egypt
... with long excerpts of it published in columns on the front page of al-Ahram, Egypt's newspaper of record.
[T]hey appeared in the monthly magazine of Finland's paper of record, the Helsingin Sanomat.
... one of the great newspapers of France and of the world.
... one of the most important and widely respected newspapers in the world.
Le Monde - respected national daily, considered to be France's newspaper of record
She had been the courageous publisher of the conservative Kathimerini, the nearest thing that Greece had to a newspaper of record.
Alexis Papahelas, editor of Kathimerini, Greece's newspaper of record, has coined the term "coalition of the unwilling" to describe the array of ultra-leftist and ultra-traditionalist forces bent on blocking reform.
The South China Morning Post remained staunchly pro—government and surpassed expectations by becoming the newspaper of record ...
The clippings are from the South China Morning Post, the paper of record in Hong Kong
The interview appeared in Morgunblaðið , Iceland's newspaper of record ...
.. Kompass, the Indonesian national newspaper of record.
They include the daily Kompas, the newspaper of record, with a circulation of more than half a million, and the weekly Tempo, which has built a solid reputation for investigative journalism.
In the years to come, of the three main pre-Revolution dailies, Ettela'at continued its traditional position as a 'newspaper of record'.
Today, the Irish Times is one of Ireland's most authoritative journals – the newspaper of record for political and intellectual elites from Mayo to Monkstown.
Ha'aretz, the left-of-center daily of record, ...
In the past few months, Haaretz, Israel's paper of record, has run a series of articles expressing misgivings about outside influence.
Recent polling, alongside articles in both the New York Times and the Israeli paper of record, Ha'aretz, indicate that the American Jewish community no longer feels represented by our so-called representatives - if we ever did.
In late January, the declaration ran as an ad in Ha'aretz, the national paper of record...
Highest Brand Trust score among Italian newspapers
Highest Brand Trust score among Italian newspapers
The Daily Gleaner, established in 1834, is one of the oldest continually published newspapers in the hemisphere and is still Jamaica's newspaper of record.
One frequent target is the Asahi Shimbun, which to many is the liberal newspaper of record in Japan.
Some months later, Japan's newspaper of record (the Asahi Shimbun) published a poem calling Hatoyama "the grim reaper" (shinigami).
..Asahi Shimbun, Japan's second largest newspaper and the 'newspaper of record' ..
It is usually ranked second to Asahi shimbun as regards national and international prestige, but it appears with its rival on most experts' lists of the world's greatest newspapers.
The Yomiuri Shimbun is considered by many to be Japan's newspaper of record, particularly as it is the newspaper that most closely reflects the position of the Japanese government (Luther, 2002).
The Yomiuri had been founded twenty-five years earlier, when the President of the Yomiuri Shinbun, Japan's newspaper of record, wanted to celebrate the paper's anniversary with a symphony concert for its employees.
Kenya's newspaper of record, the Daily Nation, published a banner headline "Never Again" over an editorial with a sharp, eloquent warning
An Nahar, the newspaper of record for the entire Arab world, which was printed every day during the 1975-76 civil war, ground to a halt Wednesday on its 50th anniversary after an Israeli phosphorous [sic] shell sailed into the fourth floor of its building.
Countless buildings in the Hamra area were badly damaged, including the Information Ministry and the headquarters of An Nahar, the newspaper of record for the entire Arab world.
Quotidien francophone libanais né en 1971 d'une fusion entre L'Orient et Le Jour, il est l'un des journaux en langue étrangère les plus lus dans le pays et au sein de la diaspora libanaise, notamment francophone.
Le quotidien créé à Beyrouth en 1924 a survécu aux guerres et aux crises et est l'un des seuls médias véritablement indépendants du monde arabe.
Straits Times (and New Straits Times): ... it has emerged as a newspaper of record
Cyril Almeida, a senior journalist with Dawn, Pakistan's newspaper of record, who, furious at the news of my expulsion.
Dawn is the unofficial newspaper of record - indispensable for businessmen, diplomats and military officers alike - and known for its influential editorials that affect Pakistan's image worldwide.
In Pakistan, which has a longstanding, if strained, military alliance with the U.S., the country's newspaper of record, Dawn, ran an editorial under the headline "Trump on the Warpath."
After the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama , and the ouster of General Manuel Noriega , La Prensa became the country's newspaper of record
The Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly known as the Inquirer, is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record.
The creation of what is arguably the national newspaper of record, Gazeta Wyborcza, stands as an example of ....
...Rzeczpospolita daily newspaper, the main Polish newspaper of record...
The major Lisbon newspapers are Didrio de Noticias (daily and newspaper of record) ....
The most prestigious newspaper for print journalists is the Diario de noticias, Portugal's "newspaper of record", followed by the more popular Jornal de noticias and the staunchly independent Publico.
Our case study of a Portuguese newspaper of record, Público, ....
The daily Público is Portugal's newspaper of record, with typical news and section divides.
.... with Portuguese journalists included José Manuel Fernandes, at the time director of Portugal's newspaper of record, Publico, Lisbon.
The prominent "big three" publications — Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo, and Joongang Ilbo — are newspapers of record with a combined three million subscribers.
ABC, the third 'newspaper of record' in Spain ...
As of July 1936, ABC in Madrid, a conservative newspaper of record and the largest Spanish daily, was seized by the Popular Front
ABC, the newspaper of record in Franco's Spain
Coverage in El Mundo, the second 'newspaper of record' in Spain (mainly in 2016) begins with two well-researched ...
For this chapter, we analyzed the environmental information published by the newspaper of record in Spain, El País.
A few days later, a Spanish newspaper of record, El País, published an interview ...
Dagens Nyheter, Sweden's paper of record.
In addition, we consulted all 302 newspaper articles in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (the newspaper of record in the German-speaking part of Switzerland), and Le Temps (the newspaper of record in the German-speaking part of Switzerland), that covered...
Bangkok Post is the English-language newspaper of record in Thailand...
The Bangkok Post was used because it is a newspaper of record in Thailand and the most widely read of the English-language dailies.
The newspaper of record's decision to uncritically broadcast a closed session with Russia's ambassador to Thailand yesterday has been met with anger and disbelief.
..that although the Guardian is the nation's [Trinidad and Tobago] newspaper of record...
The [Trinidad and Togabo] Guardian, founded in 1917, is the country's newspaper of record.
... long the newspaper of record in the United States and one of the world's great newspapers.
The New York Times is widely recognised as the country's newspaper of record.