You’d think the "oldest newspaper" title would be a simple fact. Open a textbook, find a date, done. Honestly, it’s a total mess. People argue over this constantly. Does a paper still count if it's only online? Does it count if it changed its name five times since the 1600s? It's basically a historical cage match.
The story of the oldest newspapers in the world isn't just about dusty archives. It’s about plague, kings running away from riots, and the weird evolution of how we get information. If you're looking for the one true "first," you’re going to be disappointed because the answer depends entirely on who you ask and how they define "newspaper."
The German Groundbreaker: Johann Carolus
Most historians agree that the first weekly printed newspaper was the Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien. That's a mouthful. Basically, it means "Account of all distinguished and commemorable stories." It started in 1605 in Strasbourg.
Johann Carolus was the guy behind it. Before he went to print, he was actually writing out news by hand. Imagine that. He had a small group of wealthy subscribers who paid for handwritten updates. Eventually, he realized that copying things by hand was taking too long and costing too much. He bought a printing press, and the modern newspaper was born.
But here is the catch. The Relation looked more like a book than a modern paper. It was printed in a "quarto" size—sort of a small, chunky booklet. Some purists, like the famous printing historian Stanley Morison, argued it shouldn't even be called a newspaper. They called it a "newsbook."
The Swedish Record Holder (With an Asterisk)
If you search for the world record, you’ll usually find Post- och Inrikes Tidningar. It started in Sweden in 1645. Queen Christina and her chancellor Axel Oxenstierna wanted a way to spread official word across the kingdom.
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It has been publishing ever since. That is nearly 400 years of continuous service. But there is a huge "but" here. Since 2007, they stopped printing on paper. It is now 100% digital.
- Founded: 1645
- Original Name: Ordinari Post Tijdender
- Current Status: Digital only (Official government gazette)
Does a digital-only site still count as a "newspaper"? For the World Association of Newspapers, the answer was yes. For many traditionalists, it felt like the end of an era.
Italy’s Paper King: Gazzetta di Mantova
If you are someone who thinks a newspaper has to be, well, paper, then the winner is in Italy. The Gazzetta di Mantova started in 1664. Unlike the Swedish publication, this one is still printed and sold at newsstands.
It has survived wars, the unification of Italy, and the rise of the internet. It is the oldest newspaper in the world that you can still hold in your hands every morning.
The history here is deep. It started as a "gazette," which usually meant it was more of an official bulletin. But over centuries, it evolved into a standard daily paper. It's incredibly local. If you live in Mantua today, you’re reading the same title your ancestors read during the 17th century. That is kind of wild to think about.
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Why the London Gazette is Different
You've probably heard of the London Gazette. It started in 1665, but it wasn't actually from London at first. It was the Oxford Gazette.
Why? Because the Great Plague was tearing through London. King Charles II moved his entire court to Oxford to avoid catching the Black Death. He was terrified of touching newspapers printed in London because he thought the ink or paper might carry the plague.
He ordered a new paper to be printed in Oxford so he could stay informed without dying. Once the plague died down and the court moved back to London, the name changed. It is still published today. However, it isn't a "news" paper in the way we think. You won't find sports scores or movie reviews. It’s the official journal of record for the UK government. It’s where they announce things like military commissions, bankruptcies, and honors.
The Broadside Revolution in the Netherlands
We can't talk about this without mentioning the Dutch. In 1618, Courante uyt Italien, Duytslandt, &c. appeared in Amsterdam. This was a massive shift.
Instead of a small booklet, it was printed on a large single sheet of paper. This was the birth of the "broadsheet" format. Because Amsterdam was a massive trade hub, they had access to news from all over the world. They were basically the Reuters of the 1600s.
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What actually makes a newspaper "Old"?
There is a lot of "marketing" in the newspaper business. You’ll see plenty of papers claiming to be the oldest. Berrow's Worcester Journal in England claims to date back to 1690, though some historians argue they have gaps in their publication history that should disqualify them.
In the United States, the Hartford Courant (started in 1764) is generally considered the oldest continuously published paper. It even published the Declaration of Independence. But even they had to navigate the "continuous" rule through mergers and ownership changes.
Why these ancient papers still matter
In a world of TikTok and 24-hour cable news, these old-school giants feel like relics. But they represent something important: the transition from "news for the elite" to "news for the people."
Originally, these papers were tools for kings and governments. They were often filled with propaganda. It took centuries for the "free press" as we know it to actually emerge.
Key takeaways for the history buff:
- Definitions vary. If you want "first ever," it's the Relation (1605).
- Continuous means different things. Sweden has the oldest brand (1645), but Italy has the oldest physical paper (1664).
- Survival is hard. Most early papers lasted six months. The ones that survived for 300+ years did so by being incredibly flexible or being tied to the government.
If you're interested in tracing these roots yourself, the best next step is to check out the digital archives of the London Gazette or the Swedish Royal Library. They’ve digitized a lot of these early editions. Seeing a front page from 1665 where people are literally discussing the plague while the King hides in Oxford really puts our modern "breaking news" into perspective.