Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) is a German newspaper founded in 1949 and published daily in Frankfurt. It is widely regarded as a newspaper of record for Germany, with a Sunday edition known as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. The paper maintains its own network of correspondents, and its editorial policy is determined cooperatively by four editors rather than a single individual. Its first edition appeared on 1 November 1949, with founding editors including Hans Baumgarten, Erich Dombrowski, Karl Korn, Paul Sethe, and Erich Welter, the latter serving as editor until 1980. Some of these editors had previously worked for the moderate Frankfurter Zeitung, which was banned in 1943, but the FAZ explicitly stated in its first issue that it was not a successor or continuation of that earlier paper. Until September 1950, the FAZ was printed in Mainz. Traditionally, its headlines were styled in blackletter, and no photographs appeared on the front page, with rare exceptions such as images of celebrations at the Berlin Reichstag on German Unity Day in 1990 and the September 11 attacks in 2001. In the early 2000s, the paper expanded with customized sections for Berlin and Munich and launched an English-language edition distributed with the International Herald Tribune, though financial losses led to the scrapping of these sections and a reduction of the English edition to a weekly tabloid. In October 2007, the FAZ altered its traditional layout to include color photographs on the front page and replaced blackletter typeface outside the nameplate, a change that sparked controversy among readers and became the subject of a 2009 comedy film. As of 2024, the paper is produced electronically using IBM and Unisys software. After briefly adopting the German orthography reform of 1996, the FAZ reverted to the old spelling a year later, declaring the reform had failed, before accepting a custom version in 2007. Its political orientation is liberal-conservative, and it endorsed the CDU/CSU alliance in the 2013 elections. The paper is majority-owned by the independent Fazit-Foundation, which holds 93.7% of shares and was created in 1959 to ensure editorial independence. Circulation has declined over time, from over 390,000 copies in 1993 to about 256,000 in 2016. The FAZ has faced bans in Egypt for articles deemed insulting to Islam and for publishing cartoo
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Lore & Background
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) is a German daily newspaper first published on 1 November 1949. Its founding editors included Hans Baumgarten, Erich Dombrowski, Karl Korn, Paul Sethe, and Erich Welter, some of whom had worked for the earlier Frankfurter Zeitung, though the FAZ explicitly denied being that paper's successor. The paper is printed in Frankfurt and is widely regarded as a newspaper of record for Germany. Its editorial policy is set not by a single editor but by a group of four editors. The FAZ maintains its own network of correspondents. For many years, its front page featured no photographs and used blackletter type for headlines; this changed in October 2007 when color photographs were introduced, a move that generated controversy among readers. The paper’s political orientation is liberal-conservative, though it occasionally provides a forum for differing opinions. In the 2013 elections, it endorsed the CDU/CSU alliance. The FAZ is majority-owned by the independent Fazit-Foundation, which holds over 93% of shares. The foundation’s statute mandates that its shareholders must guarantee the paper’s independence. The paper has faced bans in Egypt, in 2006 and again in 2008, for content deemed insulting to Islam. In 2019, its website was blocked in China, possibly due to reporting on Hong Kong protests.
Reader's Guide
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) is a German newspaper of record, first published in 1949. Its founding editors included Hans Baumgarten, Erich Dombrowski, Karl Korn, Paul Sethe, and Erich Welter, some of whom had previously worked for the banned *Frankfurter Zeitung*, though the FAZ explicitly denied being its successor. The paper’s editorial policy is unique, being determined cooperatively by four editors rather than a single individual. Its political orientation is liberal-conservative, and it has provided a forum for diverse opinions. The FAZ is owned by a GmbH, with the independent Fazit-Foundation holding the vast majority of shares. This foundation, created in 1959, is governed by up to nine individuals who cannot sell their shares but must pass them to a co-opted successor, a structure designed to guarantee the paper’s independence. Historically, the FAZ used a sober layout with blackletter headlines and no front-page photographs, a tradition broken for major events like German reunification and the September 11 attacks. In 2007, it controversially introduced color photographs on the front page. The paper briefly experimented with an English-language edition and customized regional sections. It also famously rejected the 1996 German orthography reform for a year before eventually adopting a custom version. The FAZ has faced international bans, including in Egypt for articles deemed insulting to Islam and for publishing Muhammad cartoons, and its website was blocked by China’s Great Firewall.
Did You Know?
- The number of national daily newspapers in Germany was 598 in 1950, but dropped to 375 by 1965.
- Der Spiegel, a weekly left-liberal news magazine, had a circulation of 830,349 copies as of 2015.
- Bild, a national boulevard paper, had a circulation of 2,086,125 copies as of 2015.
- The Abendzeitung in Munich is a notable exception among boulevard papers because about half of its copies are delivered to subscribers.
- The source lists 20 large regional newspapers, including the Berliner Zeitung, Hamburger Abendblatt, and Leipziger Volkszeitung.
Frequently Asked Questions
What political stance does the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung take?
The paper is generally described as liberal-conservative in its editorial outlook. Its editorial direction is set cooperatively by a group of four editors rather than a single publisher.
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