SRINAGAR: Wiener Zeitung, the world’s oldest national newspaper, has announced the discontinuation of its daily print edition, marking the end of an era that spanned almost 320 years. The Vienna-based publication has made this decision due to a recent change in the law, rendering the print version financially unsustainable.
Established in August 1703, Wiener Zeitung, owned by the Austrian government but maintaining editorial independence, has been an integral part of Austrian history. Over the centuries, it chronicled the reigns of 12 presidents, 10 kaisers, and two republics.
During World War I, Wiener Zeitung played a significant role by publishing a special edition containing the abdication letter of the last Habsburg emperor, Kaiser Karl. However, its publication was forcefully halted in 1939 when Austria was incorporated into Hitler’s Germany. After the end of World War II and Austria’s liberation, the newspaper resumed its operations in 1945 under Allied occupation.
A law enacted in April by Austria’s coalition government eliminated the legal requirement for companies to publish public announcements in the print edition of Wiener Zeitung, effectively stripping it of its status as an official gazette. Consequently, the newspaper has suffered an estimated loss of €18 million (£15 million) in income, leading to the reduction of 63 jobs, including a downsizing of the editorial staff from 55 to 20, as reported by Der Spiegel.
While the claim for the world’s oldest newspaper title is subject to debate, with contenders like Gazzetta di Mantova and the London Gazette, Wiener Zeitung’s position as the world’s oldest national newspaper is now relinquished. The honour is now attributed to the German publication Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung, which first hit the stands in 1705.
