''Trouw'' (; ) is a Dutch daily

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, 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 p ...

appearing in compact size. It was founded in 1943 as an orthodox

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

underground newspaper The terms underground press or clandestine press refer to periodicals and publications that are produced without official approval, illegally or against the wishes of a dominant (governmental, religious, or institutional) group. In specific rec ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Since 2009, it has been owned by

DPG Media DPG Media Group is a Belgian media company also active in the Netherlands and Denmark. It is owned by the Van Thillo family and employs some 6,000 people. Divisions The DPG Media Group operates through three national subsidiaries: * DPG Med ...

(known as De Persgroep until 2019). ''Trouw'' received the European Newspaper Award in 2012. Cees van der Laan is the current

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

History

''Trouw'' is a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

word meaning "fidelity", "loyalty", or "allegiance", and is cognate with the English adjective "true". The name was chosen to reflect allegiance and loyalty to God and Country in spite of the German occupation of the Netherlands. ''Trouw'' was started during

by members of the

resistance. Hundreds of people involved in the production and distribution of the newspaper were arrested and killed during the war. The newspaper was published irregularly during the war due to lack of paper. In 1944 the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

occupying forces tried to stop publication by rounding up and imprisoning some 23 of the couriers. They issued an ultimatum to the leaders of ''Trouw''; however, the editors did not give in and all of the captured couriers were executed. Amongst the people that lost their life during the war due to their involvement with the newspaper was Trouw co-founder and resistance member Wim Speelman. After the war the paper became a daily, its allegiance to the

Reformed Churches in the Netherlands {{Infobox Christian denomination , name = Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Dutch ''Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland'') , image = , caption = , main_classification = Protestant , orientation = Calvinist , polity = Presbyterianism , ...

. By 1967, though, the paper's chief editor made it clear that ''Trouw'' was not to be considered a paper only for Christians: it wanted to be a paper for everyone. In the course of time the percentage of ''Trouw'' readers that belong to the Reformed churches shrank considerably: in 1965 69% of readers belonged to one of those churches, but by 1979 this had dropped to 48%, and by 1999 to 28%. In their own words, in 2005, they intended to "remain a newspaper rooted in a Christian tradition and to be a source of contemplation and inspiration for everyone, churchgoer or not, who feels a need for moral and spiritual orientation." Circulation at the end of the 20th century was a little over 133,000. On 3 February 2005, ''Trouw'' changed its format from broadsheet to compact. Today, ''Trouw'' is a part of the De Persgroep Nederland, the name given to the former PCM group after the Belgian publishing house De Persgroep bought a majority stake in PCM in the summer of 2009. '' NRC Handelsblad'', '' Het AD'', ''

Het Parool ''Het Parool'' () is an Amsterdam-based daily newspaper. It was first published on 10 February 1941 as a resistance paper during the German occupation of the Netherlands (1940–1945). In English, its name means ''The Password'' or ''The Motto' ...

'' and '' de Volkskrant'' are also owned by De Persgroep Nederland. NRC Handelsblad was sold before the summer of 2010.

References

External links

* (in Dutch)
Illegale Trouw
(in Dutch), underground issues from 1943–1945 {{Authority control 1943 establishments in the Netherlands Dutch-language newspapers Dutch resistance newspapers Mass media in Amsterdam Daily newspapers published in the Netherlands Newspapers established in 1943 Panama Papers