Jyllands-Posten
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Please see the discussion on the talk page. |
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| Type | Daily newspaper |
| Format | Broadsheet |
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| Owner | Jyllands-Postens Fond |
| Publisher | JP/Politikens Hus A/S |
| Editor | Carsten Juste |
| Founded | October 2, 1871 |
| Political allegiance | Liberal-conservative |
| Language | Danish |
| Price | DKK 16.50 (Monday–Thursday) DKK 19.50 (Friday–Sunday and holidays)[1] |
| Headquarters | Viby J, Denmark |
| Circulation | 150,000 |
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| Website: www.jp.dk | |
Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten [ˈmɒ:ɒn æˌviːˀsn̩ ˈjylænsˌ pʰʌsd̥n̩] (English: The Morning Newspaper "The Jutland Post"), commonly shortened to Jyllands-Posten or JP, is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Viby, a suburb of Århus, and with a weekday circulation of approximately 150,000 copies, it is the largest-selling newspaper in Denmark.[2] Its main competitors are the broadsheet Politiken and compact Berlingske Tidende.
The foundation behind the newspaper, Jyllands-Postens Fond, specifies that it is an independent liberal newspaper (liberal should be understood in the historic meaning of the term). The paper officially supported the Conservative People's Party until 1938. Since then, it has considered itself an independent liberal-conservative ("borgerlig") newspaper.[3]
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[edit] History
The newspaper was founded in 1871 and issued its first copy on 2 October of that year. Originally, the name Jyllandsposten (in one word) was used, the hyphen being adopted in 1945. The current name was introduced in 1969. It also refers to itself as "Denmark's international newspaper".
Jyllandsposten quickly became one of Jutland's most modern newspapers and secured an exclusive access to government telegraph wires between 21:00 and midnight every day. This enabled Jyllandsposten to publish news one day earlier than most of its competitors. Gradually the paper expanded, enlarging its format and adding more and more pages. The first issues had only contained four pages. In 1889 it abandoned the traditional Gothic script in favour of the Latin script used today. Gothic script had been abolished by the Danish spelling reform of 1875, but was still in wide use.
Politically the paper supported the Højre ("Right") party – which became the Conservative People's Party in 1915. The paper advocated business interests and strongly opposed socialism. It was also critical of business monopolies.[4]
In international affairs, it was generally supportive of Britain and critical of Germany, which it considered the only country that "wished to attack Denmark," to quote an 1872 edition. This nationalist sentiment was a reaction to Germany's annexation of large portions of southern Jutland following the Second War of Schleswig in 1864. Editorially the newspaper supported the Danish minority in Germany and advocated for a new border located at the Danevirke. Throughout World War I Jyllands-Posten continued its verbal attacks on Germany despite the government's policy of neutrality in the conflict. In 1918, the newspaper was outlawed in Germany.[4]
[edit] 1920s–30s
During the 1920s and 30s, the editorial line of the paper was right-wing Conservative. The paper expressed its sympathy for a number of conservative issues, most notably increasing the size of the Danish military, which had experienced a massive cut in funds by the Social Democratic government. Another issue was support of the Danish minority in Germany. The paper expressed its admiration for the authoritarian regimes of Italy and Germany on several occasions, a line assumed by many European newspapers.
In 1922, the newspaper expressed its admiration for Benito Mussolini, who had just assumed office: The very strong man, that Mussolini absolutely is, is exactly what the misruled Italian people needs .[5] In 1933, the newspaper advocated that Denmark follow Germany's example and replace petty party politics with the stability of an authoritarian regime. The editorial of May 17, 1933, stated that ...democratic rule by the people, as we know it, is a luxury which can be afforded in good times when the economy is favorable. But restoring the economy after many years of lavish spending requires a firm hand... The paper considered the German Weimar republic to be a failure because of its lack of stability.
In 1929, the paper established an office in Copenhagen, and established a corporation with The Times. In 1931, the paper was acquired by a joint stock company whose main investor became editor in chief. In 1934 the newspaper began to use photographs in its layouts. Foreign news stories were supplied by Ritzau, The Times, and the Daily Telegraph.
A front page story in 1938 was an open letter to Mussolini criticizing the persecution of Jews, written by Kaj Munk, a prominent nationalist and anti-democratic priest.[3]
On November 15, 1938, the editorial commented on the Kristallnacht with the words: "When one has studied the Jewish question in Europe for decades, the animosity towards the Jews is to a certain extent understandable." In 1939, the paper rebuked the Danish government for signing a German-Danish treaty of non-aggression.
[edit] 1940–present
Circulation almost doubled during World War II, despite censorship and paper rationing. The number of copies rose from 24,000 to 46,000.[6] The edition announcing the Liberation of Denmark sold 102,000 copies. A number of the paper's employees were involved in the Danish resistance movement against the German occupation of Denmark.[6] After the war, the paper continued to grow, and its ties and sympathy to business interests and industries grew stronger. The paper's nationalist-conservative line was replaced by a line supporting economic liberalism.
In 1954, Jyllands-Posten became the first newspaper in Denmark to use colour photos in its layouts. In 1956, the paper implemented the Danish spelling reform of 1948, although headlines were written in old style until 1965.
In 1959, First Secretary of the Communist Party Nikita Khrushchev reportedly cancelled an official visit to Denmark, on the grounds that Jyllands-Posten had published a number of articles highly critical of the Soviet Union.[7] Jyllands-Posten's editorial line remained staunchly anti-Communist.
Jyllands-Posten was affected by a series of strikes in 1956 and between 1973 and 1977. In 1977, the paper left the Union of Danish Employers, following a three week long strike against the introduction of new labour-saving equipment. In 1971, the paper bought out the joint stock company controlling it, and it has since been owned by a foundation. In the 1980s, the newspaper gradually increased its number of foreign correspondents, until finally stationing more than 20 journalists around the world.
In 1982, Jyllands-Posten's Sunday edition became the largest Sunday paper in Denmark. The paper established offices in Denmark's 10 largest cities. The 1990s was marked by a struggle with Berlingske Tidende which was seeking to expand its circulation in Jutland.[8] In response, Jyllands-Posten began issuing a special version of the paper in Copenhagen. In 1994, the weekly edition became the biggest daily morning-newspaper in Denmark with a circulation of 153,000[8]. An internet edition was launched in January 1996, which is the most visited Danish internet news site. In 2001 a number of journalists left Jyllands-Posten and launched the free distribution daily MetroXpress in coorporation with a Swedish media company. In 2002-2003 Jyllands-Posten merged with the rival publisher of Politiken and Ekstra Bladet, although the three newspapers maintain their editorial independence.
Current members of the board of trustees include two notable Danish rightwing intellectuals David Gress and history professor Bent Jensen.
[edit] Ownership
Since January 1, 2003, Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten has been owned and published by JP/Politikens Hus A/S. JP/Politikens Hus is owned in equal parts by Jyllands-Posten Holding A/S and A/S Politiken Holding, the holding companies of Jyllands-Posten and Politiken, respectively; the sole shareholder of Jyllands-Posten Holding is the private foundation Jyllands-Postens Fond. The foundation was established in 1971 with the intent of making the newspaper self-governing, and continues to exist to support the publishing and political and editorial independence of Jyllands-Posten.
[edit] Sections and features
On a daily basis, Jyllands-Posten has at least one section dedicated to business news in addition to its main news section. Other, specialised supplementary sections are published on a weekly basis. Starting on January 5, 2006, most of these supplements (not including business ones) have been printed in a tabloid format half the size of the broadsheet sections; these sections have a relatively colorful layout and are referred to as avismagasiner ("newspaper magazines").
| Day | Sections | Description |
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| Monday | Sport | Sports |
| Tuesday | International | International news and analysis |
| Wednesday | Forbrug | Consumer guides and reviews |
| Thursday | Guide | Popular culture |
| Friday | KulturWeekend | In-depth analysis of culture, often in relation to politics and international events |
| Must* | Men's magazine | |
| Viva* | Women's magazine | |
| Saturday | Explorer | Travelling and leisure |
| Sunday | Living | Furnishing, home and lifestyle |
| Tour | Automotive |
*) Must and Viva are not published on a weekly basis, but rather 8-10 times a year each, always on Fridays.
[edit] Comic strips
Daily comic strips in Jyllands-Posten are Ziggy and Fred Basset (known as Freddie in Danish); the Danish comic Poeten og Lillemor was previously featured, but cancelled some time after the death of its creator, Jørgen Mogensen.
[edit] Website
Since 1996, Jyllands-Posten has also operated a news website, Internetavisen Jyllands-Posten (www.jp.dk). The website features a section of English-language news, supplied by The Copenhagen Post, while the Danish IT newspaper ComON supplies much of the technology-related content. PDF editions of the printed newspaper from the recent few years are available to subscribers. A separate portal for business news, Erhverv På Nettet (epn.dk), was launched in October 2006;[10] the main website now refers to epn.dk for business news, and epn.dk back to Jyllands-Posten's main site (as well as Ekstra Bladet's) for general news.
[edit] Political line
[edit] Immigration
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The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. |
Jyllands-Posten does not present a consistently pro- or anti-migrant stance realitive to other Danish newspapers. However, it has been criticized as being anti-migrant after a few controversial incidents.
A journalist employed at Jyllands-Posten won a second prize in 2005 in an EU wide competition for journalists for diversity and against discrimination. The compilation of several articles "The Integration Paper" by Orla Borg was awarded the second prize.[11]
In 2002 the Danish Council of the Press, criticised the newspaper for breaching its regulations on race while reporting on three Somalis charged with a crime.[12]. The relevant regulation was: "Any mention of family relations, occupation, race, nationality, faith or relationship to an organisation ought to be avoided, unless this has a direct relevance to the case,"
Jyllands-Posten published a story alleging asylum fraud by resident Palestinian refugees in Denmark. This contributed to the electoral success of Anders Fogh Rasmussen in November 20, 2001, whose political party campaigned for reduced immigration. The story was found to be unsupported and resulted in the sacking of the editor-in-chief Ulrik Haagerup on December 12, 2001 (Politiken, Berlingske Tidende, Information, B.T., December 13, 2001). However, Jyllands-Posten maintained that the dismissal of Haagerup had nothing to do with his responsibility for the articles in question (editorial on December 16, 2001). According to Weekendavisen, a newspaper that pretty much shares the political line of Jyllands-Posten, the real reason for Haagerup's dismissal was a disagreement about the employment strategy (December 21, 2001).
The 2004 report on Denmark by the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), an organisation of NGOs funded partly by the European Commission, concluded that the Danish media devoted an excessive proportion of their time to the problems posed by immigrants, and most often Islamic immigrants, while often ignoring the problems that these immigrants face. According to the ENAR report, out of 382 JP articles on immigrants, 212 were negative, a share similar to other Danish newspapers, though the articles in the newspaper did not appear to be any more anti-immigrant than other Danish papers. The ENAR report holds newspapers such as Jyllands-Posten to blame for the rise of the anti-immigrant right-wing in Danish politics.[13]
[edit] Cartoons controversy
The paper gained international attention after its controversial publication in September 2005 of 12 cartoons depicting Islam and the prophet Muhammad. The most notorious of these showed Muhammed with a bomb in his turban. This drew protests from Danish Muslims, followed in early 2006 by protests throughout the Muslim world.
The newspaper has been accused of misusing freedom of speech by Muslim groups and a number of non-Muslim Danes, mainly on the political left. The Muhammad cartoons controversy resulted in withdrawal of the ambassadors of Libya, Saudi Arabia and Syria from Denmark, as well as consumer boycotts of Danish products in a number of Islamic countries.
The newspaper has apologised for offending Muslims, but maintains it has the right to print the cartoons, saying that Islamic fundamentalism cannot dictate what Danish newspapers are allowed to print. The newspaper's two main offices have since been the subject of several bomb threats.
In April 2003, a different editor on the newspaper rejected a set of unsolicited Jesus cartoons submitted by Christoffer Zieler on the ground that the readers would not enjoy the cartoons and that they in fact would provoke an outcry. The Muhammed cartoons were solicited for a specific story, about self-censorship springing out of fear of Muslim extremists, after the author of a Children's book about Muhammed had to use an anonymous illustrator. Ahmed Akkari, spokesman for the Danish-based European Committee for Prophet Honouring, saw this as a double-standard. [14]
[edit] Public perception
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[edit] References in fiction
- In the novel Den hårde frugt (1977, winner of "Kritikerprisen") by the celebrated Aarhus author Tage Skou-Hansen, a group of left-wing terrorists plan to blow up the house of Jyllands-Posten. The main character, Holger Mikkelsen, a well-off lawyer known from Skou-Hansen's other novels, is confronted with his own past in the resistance movement during the German occupation of Denmark.
- The novel Stasiland (2001) by Flemming Christian Nielsen is widely perceived to be a satirical roman à clef account of Jyllands-Posten. According to the publishing house: "The newspaper views its mission to praise democracy and freedom, but are they mere words meant to hide that its reporters are the victims of a creeping totalitarianism?"
[edit] Further reading
- Eriksen, Gerhardt (1996). Hvis De vil vide mere – historien om en avissucces. Centrum. ISBN 87-583-0970-5.
- Hansen, John, Kim Hundevadt (2006). Provoen og Profeten – Muhammedkrisen bag kulisserne (in Danish). Jyllands-Postens Forlag. ISBN 87-7692-092-5.
[edit] References
- ^ (Danish) Bladkompagniet (2006). Avissortiment.
- ^ Jyllands-Posten (19??). DENMARK's INTERNATIONAL NEWSPAPER.
- ^ a b (Danish) Jyllands-Posten (19??). JP historie 1918 - 1939.
- ^ a b (Danish) Jyllands-Posten (19??). JP histore 1871 - 1917.
- ^ (Danish) Bjørn Pedersen (2005). Kampen om demokratiet 1930-45.
- ^ a b (Danish) Jyllands-Posten (19??). JP historie 1940-45.
- ^ "Danish Paper Has History of Controversy", Editor & Publisher, 2006-02-09.
- ^ a b (Danish) Jyllands-Posten (19??). JP historie 1990-.
- ^ (Danish) Jyllands-Postens Annonceafdeling (2006). Sektioner.
- ^ (Danish) Jyllands-Posten (2006). Jyllands-Posten opruster på nettet.
- ^ "Articles in english by danish journalist who won second price in second EU “For Diversity. Against Discrimination” Award", European Union, 2005-05-02.
- ^ (Danish) Retsinfo.dk, Kendelse fra Pressenævnet i sag nr. 23/2002, 2002-03-20
- ^ Bashy Quraishy and Jean o'Connor, ENAR SHADOW REPORT 2004 DENMARK (pdf file)
- ^ "Danish paper rejected Jesus cartoons", Media Guardian, 2006-02-06.
