''Vestfold Arbeiderblad'', often referred to as simply as ''VA'' and for a long period just ''Vestfold'', was a

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 poli ...

published in

Tønsberg Tønsberg (), historically Tunsberg, is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located about south-southwest of the capital city of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

History and profile

The paper was established in 1909 under the name ''Vestfold Arbeiderblad''. The first issue was published on 2 June 1909, ahead of elections to the Norwegian Storting in the autumn of the same year. Initially the paper only came out a few days a week and contained only a few pages. Everything except printing was done by volunteers. By 1911 circulation was 640. The paper became a daily in 1916. Politically it belonged to the

Norwegian Labour Party The Labour Party (; , A or Ap; ), formerly The Norwegian Labour Party (, DNA), is a Social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in Norway, political party in Norway. It is positioned on the centre-left of the political spectru ...

, but in 1924 it was usurped by the newly established Communist Party. The Labour Party eventually found a new newspaper in ''Vestfold Socialdemokrat'', founded in 1921 as a local organ for the Social Democratic Labour Party. ''Vestfold Socialdemokrat'' took the name ''Vestfold Arbeiderblad'' in 1929—by that time the Communist newspaper of the same name had gone defunct. ''Vestfold Arbeiderblad'' was stopped between September 1940 and May 1945, during the German occupation of Norway. The most popular newspaper in the Tønsberg area was the

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 ...

'' Tønsbergs Blad''. On the other hand, ''Vestfold Arbeiderblad'' was the largest newspaper in

Holmestrand Municipality is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Jarlsberg. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Holmestrand (town), town of Ho ...

and Hof Municipality. It absorbed other Labour Party newspapers; '' Horten Arbeiderblad'' in 1962 and '' Vestfold Fremtid'' in 1983. By 1983 had a circulation of about 8,500 copies compared to 26,248 copies of ''Tønsbergs Blad''. ''Vestfold Arbeiderblad'' went defunct in 1988.

References

1909 establishments in Norway 1988 disestablishments in Norway Communist Party of Norway newspapers Defunct newspapers published in Norway Labour Party (Norway) newspapers Norwegian-language newspapers Newspapers established in 1909 Publications disestablished in 1988 Mass media in Vestfold Tønsberg {{norway-newspaper-stub