end clap for a Viennese newspaper after three centuries of existence

It was founded in 1703, during the time of the Habsburg Empire, and has survived the turmoil of history. But after years of uncertainty, the paper edition of the Viennese newspaper Wiener Zeitung will eventually disappear. The Austrian Parliament voted Thursday, April 27, a law on the media, including a clause signing the end from July 1 of this daily newspaper among the oldest in the world, according to the World Association of Newspapers (WAN).

THE Wiener Zeitung will however continue to exist on the internet, with the possibility of occasional paper publications “depending on available funds”. The newspaper, born under the name Viennese Diarium before being renamed in 1780, had been nationalized in the 19th century by François-Joseph 1er and currently belonged to the Republic of Austria.

Many layoffs in sight

In addition to the purely editorial part which has remained independent, the Wiener Zeitung served as an official journal ever since, publishing legal texts and information relating to Austrian companies. Wiener Zeitung lives mainly on income from this activity, which will now be entrusted to an online platform, the government explaining that it acted under a European directive on digital tools.

The editorial staff denounced, before the vote, a project “destructive” which deprives it of sufficient funds to continue printing the daily. The brand, rich in 320 years of history, will certainly survive, “but no one knows what the future of publishing will be: will it still be rigorous journalism?”protested deputy editor Mathias Ziegler. “We have always said that other sources of funding must be found, but the problem has never been seriously addressed in the past”, he told AFP. Nearly half of the 200 employees, including 40 journalists, could be fired, according to the union.