Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/58803

The first weekly newspapers in the world were published in 1609 in Europe, in the German speaking area. The question as to why the newspapers were founded in the territory of the former Holy Roman Empire has many aspects to consider. It has still not been proved whether the weekly newspaper was mono originated, i.e. actually published only in Strassbourg, or if the appearance of the new printing media occurred simultaneously in several cities without interactions between them. Searching for the causes of how the newspaper emerged is very difficult due to the lack of primary sources. However, there are some circumstantial elements acknowledged as factors in the origin of this public communication tool. One research strand focuses on the“manufacturer” of the newspaper: the printer. Based on Fevre/Matin (1971) and Schneider (2010), this paper argues that the printing industry and its historical development in the 16th and 17th century promoted the emergence of the newspaper. In particular, the increasing competition in the printing industry forced printers to seek a new stable income opportunity in newspapers which provided a regular readership and economic resource. The problem discussed here is only one of the many aspects about the communication process “the newspaper”. It is further necessary to investigate such factors as the post (as both an information and transport system), the readership as the consumers (the literacy and economic capacity of the population), and the censorship of journalism and so on.