Draugas

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Draugas (The Friend) is the only Lithuanian daily newspaper published abroad. It is also the oldest continuously published Lithuanian language newspaper anywhere in the world. Draugas is read not only in the United States, but in Canada, South America, Australia, and Europe as well.

Founded as a weekly Catholic paper, Draugas published its first edition on July 25, 1909 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. On March 31, 1916 it was relocated to Chicago, Illinois and since then has been published daily, except Mondays and Sundays.

During the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, the newspaper served as a voice of the Lithuanian independent media. Such prominent Lithuanian émigré writers and public figures as Aloyzas Baronas, Kazys Bradūnas, Česlovas Grincevičius, Bronius Kviklys, Rev. Vaclovas Bagdanavičius, Aušrelė Liulevičienė, Kazys Pakštas, and Rev. Juozas Prunskis, Stasys Džiugas, Nijolė Jankutė-Užubalienė, worked on the editorial staff.

Currently, Draugas is published by the Lithuanian Catholic Press Society in Chicago, IL. It contains twelve pages of political, religious, scientific, economic, and public interest articles, announcements, and paid advertising. The Saturday issue is twenty-four pages, including an Art, Literature and Science supplement. The editor-in-chief, Danute Bindokas, was hired in 1992 and is the first female to hold that position in the newspaper’s history.

In April of 2006, the new Draugas Web site Draugas was launched.