The (; ''FAZ''; "Frankfurt General Newspaper") is a German

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 poli ...

founded in 1949. It is published daily in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

and is considered a

newspaper of record A newspaper of record is a major national newspaper with large newspaper circulation, circulation whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered authoritative and independent; they are thus "newspapers of record by reputation" and i ...

for Germany. Its Sunday edition is the ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung'' (; ''FAS''). The paper runs its own network of

correspondents A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...

. Its editorial policy is not determined by a single editor, but cooperatively by four editors.

History

The first edition of the ''FAZ'' appeared on 1 November 1949; its founding editors were Hans Baumgarten, Erich Dombrowski, Karl Korn, Paul Sethe and Erich Welter. Welter acted as editor until 1980. Some editors had worked for the moderate ''

Frankfurter Zeitung The ''Frankfurter Zeitung'' (, ) was a German-language newspaper that appeared from 1856 to 1943. It emerged from a market letter that was published in Frankfurt. In Nazi Germany, it was considered the only mass publication not completely control ...

'', which had been banned in 1943. However, in their first issue, the ''FAZ'' editorial expressly refuted the notion of being the earlier paper's successor, or of continuing its legacy: Until 30 September 1950, the ''FAZ'' was printed in

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

. Traditionally, many of the headlines in the ''FAZ'' were styled in

blackletter Blackletter (sometimes black letter or black-letter), also known as Gothic script, Gothic minuscule or Gothic type, was a script used throughout Western Europe from approximately 1150 until the 17th century. It continued to be commonly used for ...

format, and no photographs appeared on the title page. Some of the rare exceptions were a picture of celebrating people in front of the Berlin Reichstag on 4 October 1990 (

German Unity Day German Unity Day (, ) is the national day of Germany, celebrated on 3 October as a public holiday. It commemorates German Reunification in 1990 when the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) joined the Federal Republic of Germany (West Ger ...

), and two pictures in the edition on 12 September 2001 (one day after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

) showing the collapsing

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are the hundreds of sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may also refer to: Buildings * World Trade Center (1973–2001), a building complex that was destroyed during the September 11 at ...

and American president

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

. In the early 2000s, ''FAZ'' expanded aggressively, with customized sections for Berlin and Munich. An eight-page six-day-a-week English-language edition was distributed as an insert in ''

The International Herald Tribune ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' (which is owned by

The New York Times Company The New York Times Company is an American mass media corporation that publishes ''The New York Times'' and its associated publications such as ''The New York Times International Edition'' and other media properties. The New York Times Company's ...

); the articles were selected and translated from the same day's edition of the parent newspaper by the ''FAZ'' staff in Frankfurt. However, FAZ group suffered a loss of 60.6 million euros in 2002. By 2004, the customized sections were scrapped. The English edition shrank to a tabloid published once a week. On 5 October 2007, the ''FAZ'' altered its traditional layout to include color photographs on the front page, and replaced

typeface outside the

nameplate A nameplate identifies and displays a person or product's name. Nameplates are usually shaped as rectangles but are also seen in other shapes, sometimes taking on the shape of someone's written name. Nameplates primarily serve an informat ...

. Due to its traditionally layout, the introduction of color photographs was controversially discussed by ''FAZ'' readers, becoming the subject of a 2009 comedy film. Currently, the ''FAZ'' is produced electronically using the

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

Networked Interactive Content Access (NICA) software and

Unisys Unisys Corporation is a global technology solutions company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. The company provides cloud, AI, digital workplace, logistics, and enterprise computing services. History Founding Unis ...

Hermes. For its characteristic comment headings, a digital

Fraktur Fraktur () is a calligraphic hand of the Latin alphabet and any of several blackletter typefaces derived from this hand. It is designed such that the beginnings and ends of the individual strokes that make up each letter will be clearly vis ...

font was ordered. This font has since been abandoned, due to the above-mentioned change of layout. After introducing the new spelling prescribed by

German orthography reform of 1996 The German orthography reform of 1996 (') was a change to German spelling and punctuation that was intended to simplify German orthography and thus to make it easier to learn, without substantially changing the rules familiar to users of the lan ...

on 1 August 1999, the paper returned to the old spelling exactly one year later, declaring that the reform had failed to achieve its primary goals of improving language mastery and strengthening the unity of the language. After several changes had been made to the new spelling, ''FAZ'' accepted it and started using it (in a custom version) on 1 January 2007. In December 1999, future German Chancellor

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...

published an article in the , lamenting the "tragedy" that had befallen the party (

CDU donations scandal The CDU donations scandal was a political scandal resulting from the illegal forms of party financing used by the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) during the 1990s. These included accepting hidden donations, the non-disclosure of cash d ...

), blaming former Chancellor

Helmut Kohl Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (; 3 April 1930 – 16 June 2017) was a German politician who served as chancellor of Germany and governed the ''Federal Republic'' from 1982 to 1998. He was leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to ...

and urging a new course.

Orientation

Its political orientation is

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

,Enzensberger, Hans Magnus (16 October 2007)
"Alter Wein in neuen Schläuchen"
(in German). ''Deutschland Radio''. occasionally providing a forum to commentators with different opinions. In the 2013 elections the paper endorsed the CDU/CSU alliance.

Ownership

The company has the legal form of a

GmbH (; ) is a type of Juridical person, legal entity in German-speaking countries. It is equivalent to a (Sàrl) in the Romandy, French-speaking region of Switzerland and to a (Sagl) in the Ticino, Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. It is a ...

(company with

limited liability Limited liability is a legal status in which a person's financial Legal liability, liability is limited to a fixed sum, most commonly the value of a person's investment in a corporation, company, or joint venture. If a company that provides limi ...

); the independent (Fazit-Foundation) is its majority shareholder, holding 93.7% of shares. The FAZIT-Stiftung was created in 1959 by the transformation of the then ''FAZ'' owner into a

private foundation A private foundation is a Tax exemption, tax-exempt organization that does not rely on broad public support and generally claims to serve humanitarian purposes. Unlike a Foundation (nonprofit), charitable foundation, a private foundation does no ...

. It is 'owned' by up to nine persons who can't sell or buy their share but have to transmit it free of charge to a successor which is co-opted by the remaining shareholders. The foundations statute prescribes that only such persons shall be co-opted as new member, who "by their standing and personality" can guarantee the "independence" of the ''FAZ''. The current group of seven is composed of active or former CEOs, company owners, board members, and corporate lawyers. The foundation also owns more than 90% of the shares of the company 'Frankfurter Societät' which in turn is owner of the printing enterprise 'Frankfurter Societätsdruckerei' and the regional paper

Frankfurter Neue Presse The ''Frankfurter Neue Presse'' (FNP; "Frankfurt New Press") is a German daily newspaper based in Frankfurt am Main and focused on local and regional topics. History The FNP was founded on 15 April 1946 under a license of the American military ...

Circulation

The ''F.A.Z.'' is one of several high-profile national newspapers in Germany (along with ''

Süddeutsche Zeitung The ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'' (; ), published in Munich, Bavaria, is one of the largest and most influential daily newspapers in Germany. The tone of ''SZ'' is mainly described as centre-left, liberal, social-liberal, progressive-liberal, and ...

'', ''

Die Welt (, ) is a German national daily newspaper, published as a broadsheet by Axel Springer SE. is the flagship newspaper of the Axel Springer publishing group and it is considered a newspaper of record in Germany. Its leading competitors are the ...

'', , ''

Frankfurter Rundschau The ''Frankfurter Rundschau'' (''FR'') is a German daily newspaper, based in Frankfurt am Main. The ''Rundschaus editorial stance is social liberal. It holds that "independence, social justice and fairness" underlie its journalism. In Post-wa ...

'' and ''

Die Tageszeitung ''Die Tageszeitung'' (, "The Daily Newspaper"), stylized as ''die tageszeitung'' and commonly referred to as ''taz'', is a German daily newspaper. It is run as a cooperative – it is administered by its employees and a co-operative of sharehol ...

''). In 2011, it counted 40 foreign correspondents among its staff. The 1993 circulation of the paper was 391,013 copies. In 2001, it had a circulation of 409,000 copies. The 2007 circulation of the daily edition was 382,499 copies. The 2016 (IVW II/2016) circulation of the daily edition was 256,188 copies.

Bans

In 2006, the ''FAZ'' was banned in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

for publishing articles which were deemed as "insulting Islam". In February 2008, the paper was again banned in Egypt due to the publication of cartoons depicting

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. In November 2012, the paper provoked strong criticism in Spain because of its stance against Spanish immigration to Germany during the economic crisis. In July 2019, the ''FAZ'' website, along with other major German media, including

Spiegel Online ' () is a German news website. It was established in 1994 as ''Spiegel Online'' as a content mirror of the magazine ''Der Spiegel''. In 1995, the site began producing original stories and it introduced ''Spiegel Online International'' for artic ...

, was blocked by China's

Great Firewall The Great Firewall (GFW; ) is the combination of legislative actions and technologies enforced by the China, People's Republic of China to regulate the Internet domestically. Its role in internet censorship in China is to block access to selected ...

. The reasons for the ban remain unclear, but ''FAZ'' believed it was possibly due to its reporting on the

2019–2020 Hong Kong protests The 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests (also known by other names) were a series of demonstrations against the Hong Kong government's introduction of a bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in regard to extradition. It was the largest ...

Notable contributors

Muhammad Asad Muhammad Asad (born Leopold Weiss; 2 July 1900 – 20 February 1992) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Muslim polymath, born in modern day Ukraine. He worked as a journalist, traveler, writer, List of political theorists, political theori ...

* * * Eleonore Büning (music critic) *

Dietmar Dath Dietmar Dath (born 3 April 1970) is a German author, journalist and translator. Life Born in Rheinfelden, Dath grew up in Schopfheim, West Germany, and finished high school in Freiburg. After civilian service he studied German studies and phys ...

* Marc Degens * *

Joachim Fest Joachim Clemens Fest (8 December 1926 – 11 September 2006) was a German historian, journalist, critic and editor who was best known for his writings and public commentary on Nazi Germany, including a biography of Adolf Hitler and books about A ...

(former editor) * (former editor) * *Andrea Petkovic * *

Florian Illies Florian Illies (born 4 May 1971) is a German writer and art historian. Life He was born and raised in the town of Schlitz in Hesse. His father was the biologist Joachim Illies, and one of his school teachers was the writer Gudrun Pausewang. ...

Daniel Kehlmann Daniel Kehlmann (; born 13 January 1975) is a German-language novelist and playwright of both Austrian and German nationality.Barbara Klemm Barbara Klemm (born 27 December 1939 in Münster) is a German press photographer. She worked for ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' for 45 years. She photographed many of the most important events in recent German history and has received honors, ...

(photographer) * Carsten Knop *

Christian Kracht Christian Kracht (; born 29 December 1966) is a Swiss author. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages. Early life and education Kracht was born in Saanen in the Canton of Bern. Kracht's father, Christian Kracht Sr., was chie ...

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld also called Kaiser Karl (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, photographer, and creative director. Lagerfeld began his career in fashion in the 1950s, working for several top fashion hous ...

(caricaturist) *

Ernst Nolte Ernst Nolte (11 January 1923 – 18 August 2016) was a German historian and philosopher. Nolte's major interest was the comparative studies of fascism and communism (cf. Comparison of Nazism and Stalinism). Originally trained in philosophy, he ...

* *

Marcel Reich-Ranicki Marcel Reich-Ranicki (; 2 June 1920 – 18 September 2013) was a Polish-born German literary critic and member of the informal literary association Gruppe 47. He was regarded as one of the most influential contemporary literary critics in the f ...

* (see ) * Johann Georg Reißmüller (former editor) *

Frank Schirrmacher Frank Schirrmacher (5 September 1959 – 12 June 2014) was a German journalist, literature expert and essayist, writer, and from 1994 co-publisher of the national German newspaper ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung''. Education After studying G ...

Werner Spies Werner Spies (born 1 April 1937 in Tübingen) is a German art historian, journalist and exhibition organizer. From 1997 to 2000, he was a director of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Klaus Albrecht Schröder, director of the Albertina in Vienn ...

Udo Ulfkotte Udo Konstantin Ulfkotte (20 January 1960 – 13 January 2017) was a German journalist and author who worked for the German main daily newspaper ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' (FAZ) from 1986 until 2003. From the end of the 1990s, he wrote s ...

(former editor)

References

External links

*
Explanation for the return to the pre-reform spelling (in German)

media profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 1949 establishments in West Germany Centre-right newspapers Conservative liberalism Conservative media in Germany Daily newspapers published in Germany German-language newspapers German news websites Liberal conservatism Liberal media in Germany Mass media in Frankfurt Mass media in Mainz Newspapers established in 1949 Publishing companies established in 1949