The newspaper is increasingly under pressure due to modern technology. Many newspapers are already online on the Internet. Does the paper newspaper still have a future, is the burning question. The fact is that newspapers are having a hard time. Not only because of the competition from the Internet, but especially because of the difficult economic times, which means that advertising, which is essential for a newspaper, is declining. The newspaper has been around for a long time and is still popular.
History
A newspaper, also called courant or gazette, is a printed publication in which news is included. The Romans already had some kind of news service. The Acta Diurna (the daily events), created by Julius Caesar, appeared regularly. The news, mostly points from the Senate and progress from the emperor, could be read on wooden boards. The first newspaper originated in 713 and was made in China, the Kai Yuan Za Bao. The oldest Dutch newspaper is the Courante uyt Italien, Duytslandt, &c. from 1618. It consisted of a single sheet of paper, printed on one side.
The Netherlands now has seven national paid morning newspapers:
- The Telegraph
- de Volkskrant
- Algemeen Dagblad
- Fidelity
- Dutch Dagblad
- Financial Daily
- NRC
In addition, there are three national evening newspapers, namely:
- Het Parool
- NRC Handelsblad
- The Reformatorisch Dagblad.
There are also many regional newspapers and local magazines. In 2008, half of Dutch households had a newspaper subscription. Abroad, newspapers are much more commonly sold separately.
Major foreign newspapers are:
- New York Times (US)
- Le Monde (France)
- El Pais (Spain)
- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany)
- Pravda (Russia)
Developments
In the early days of the newspaper, people often spoke of ‘flying leaves’, because they were often only distributed after a sensational event. It also usually concerned foreign news. Domestic issues were avoided to maintain good relations with the authority. Government control was still tight until well into the nineteenth century. Disadvantage: the mass audience was not reached. By abolishing the newspaper stamp, an excise tax on newspaper publishing, and enshrining freedom of expression in the constitution, things changed quickly and independent reporting emerged. As early as 1830, the New York Herald attempted to provide objective news. In the Netherlands this only happened at the end of the nineteenth century. The first newspapers had no photos. Later, the articles were accompanied by grainy black-and-white photographs. The first color photo in a Dutch newspaper was printed in 1965. It was not until 1992 that the Telegraaf had a full color supplement. Nowadays the entire newspaper is in color.
Tabloid
More and more newspapers are switching to the tabloid format, a phenomenon that originated in England. The word tabloid originated in 1884, as the brand name of a medicinal tablet. Subsequently, the word was used for various products in compact form. The word entered the newspaper world with the creation of the British popular magazine the Daily Mail. At that time it was not about the format, but about the composition of the articles: concise and quickly readable. Tabloid was synonymous with scandal magazine, with which The Sun became famous and infamous. As well as Bild Zeitung in Germany. The Netherlands fell for the tabloid format through the free Spits and Metro. In 1986, De Waarheid was the first newspaper to switch to the smaller format, followed by many other national and regional newspapers. The advantage is of course the handy size. The disadvantage is that there is less space for large items. It’s all more concise. The advantage of the larger version is that after reading it can be used for multiple purposes, such as covering for painting, sun protection and packing the fish.