Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

{{Distinguish|Frankfurter Zeitung}}{{Infobox newspaper | name = {{Lang|de|Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung}} | logo = Frankfurter_Allgemeine_logo.svg | image = Frankfurter Allgemeine front page.jpg | caption = The 17 September 2010 front page | type = Daily newspaper | format = Nordisch | founded = {{Start date and age|1949|11|1|df=yes}} | owners = Fazit-Stiftung | headquarters = Frankfurt, Germany | language = German | publisher = Carsten Knop Berthold Kohler {{nowrap|Jürgen Kaube Gerald Braunberger}} | political_position = Liberal conservatism<ref name="LibCon">{{cite book |editor1-first=Jordana |editor1-last=Silverstein |editor2=Rachel Stevens |title=Refugee Journeys: Histories of Resettlement, Representation and Resistance |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tf8aEAAAQBAJ&dq=centre-right+Frankfurter+Allgemeine+Zeitung&pg=PA91 |quote= ... Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), centre-right, liberal conservative • Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), centre-left, progressive liberalism • Bildzeitung, centre-right, conservative populist tabloid • Frankfurter Rundschau (FR), ... |year=2021 |page=91 |publisher=ANU Press |isbn=978-1-7604-6419-6}}</ref><ref name=enzensberger/> Conservative liberalism<ref name="ConLib">{{cite book |editor1-first=Willfried |editor1-last=Spohn |editor2=Matthias Koenig |editor3=Wolfgang Knöbl |title=Religion and National Identities in an Enlarged Europe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E0sMCgAAQBAJ&dq=%22conservative+liberal%22+Frankfurter+Allgemeine+Zeitung&pg=PT41 |quote=Newspapers taken from the highprofile press are the left–liberal Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), the conservative–liberal Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), and the bourgeois–liberal Die Welt (DW), as well as the Christiansocial ... |year=2015 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-0-2303-9077-5}}</ref><ref name="ConLib2">{{cite book |editor1-first=Heimy |editor1-last=Taylor |editor2=Werner Haas |title=German: A Self-Teaching Guide |url=https://www.google.com/search?q=%22conservative+liberal%22+Frankfurter+Allgemeine+Zeitung&tbm=bks#:~:text=German%3A%20A%20Self%2DTeaching%20Guide |quote= ... They represent different political opinions—for instance, the Süddeutsche Zeitung (liberal), the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (conservative-liberal), or Die Welt (conservative). Add to that (literally: to that, come) political ... |year=2007 |page=243 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-4701-6551-5}}</ref> Centre-right<ref name="LibCon"/><ref name="CentreRight">{{cite book |editor-first=Robert G. |editor-last=Picard |title=The Euro Crisis in the Media: Journalistic Coverage of Economic Crisis and European Institutions |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KBKMDwAAQBAJ&dq=centre-right+Frankfurter+Allgemeine+Zeitung&pg=PA271 |quote= ... Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), centre-right, liberal conservative • Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), centre-left, progressive liberalism • Bildzeitung, centre-right, conservative populist tabloid • Frankfurter Rundschau (FR), ... |year=2015 |page=271 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-0-8577-2701-5}}</ref> Pro-CDU/CSU | issn = 0174-4909 | website = {{URL|https://www.faz.net/ }} | circulation = 201,408 (Print, 2021) 56,000 (Digital, 2020) }}

The '''{{Lang|de|Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung}}''' ({{IPA|de|ˈfʁaŋkfʊʁtɐ ʔalɡəˈmaɪnə ˈtsaɪtʊŋ|lang}}; '''''FAZ'''''; "Frankfurt General Newspaper") is a German newspaper founded in 1949. It is published daily in Frankfurt<ref name=gh>{{cite web |first=Georg |last=Hellack |title=Press, Radio and Television in the Federal Republic of Germany |url=http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED353617.pdf |work=Inter Nationes |access-date=3 April 2015 |format=Report |year=1992}}</ref> and is considered a newspaper of record for Germany.<ref>{{cite news |last=Zerofsky |first=Elisabeth |date=11 November 2017 |title=How a German Newspaper Became the Go-To Place for Leaks Like the Paradise Papers |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-a-german-newspaper-became-the-go-to-place-for-leaks-like-the-paradise-papers |url-status=live |newspaper=The New Yorker |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240502083554/https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-a-german-newspaper-became-the-go-to-place-for-leaks-like-the-paradise-papers |archive-date=2 May 2024 |access-date=10 October 2024 |url-access=limited |quote=... ''Frankfurter Allgemeine'' as the daily newspaper of record in Germany.}}</ref> Its Sunday edition is the '''''Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung''''' ({{IPA|de|- ˈzɔntaːksˌtsaɪtʊŋ|}}; '''''FAS''''').

The paper runs its own network of correspondents. Its editorial policy is not determined by a single editor, but cooperatively by four editors.

==History== [[Image:Konrad Adenauer by Giuseppe Moro, August 1961.jpg|thumb|Konrad Adenauer reading the ''FAZ'' in 1961]] The first edition of the ''FAZ'' appeared on 1 November 1949;<ref>{{cite web |title=World Press Trends |url=http://www.wan-ifra.org/system/files/field_article_file/WPT_Sample_report_Germany.pdf |work=WAN IFRA |access-date=4 April 2015 |archive-date=28 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140628101828/http://www.wan-ifra.org/system/files/field_article_file/WPT_Sample_report_Germany.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first=Sigurd |last=Hess |title=German Intelligence Organizations and the Media |journal=Journal of Intelligence History |year=2009 |volume=9 |issue=1–2 |pages=75–87 |doi=10.1080/16161262.2009.10555166 |s2cid=154195583}}</ref> its founding editors were Hans Baumgarten, Erich Dombrowski, Karl Korn, Paul Sethe and Erich Welter.<ref>{{cite thesis |first=Robert |last=Williams |title=Das Freie Wort? The structuring of East and West German Press Culture during the American and Soviet Occupations |url=https://aura.american.edu/articles/thesis/DAS_FREIE_WORT_THE_STRUCTURING_OF_EAST_AND_WEST_GERMAN_PRESS_CULTURE_DURING_THE_AMERICAN_AND_SOVIET_OCCUPATIONS/23895645 |publisher=American University |location=Washington D.C. |year=2013 |page=165 |doi=10.17606/4zpc-fq15 |degree=Ph.D.|id={{ProQuest|}}}}</ref> Welter acted as editor until 1980. Some editors had worked for the moderate ''Frankfurter Zeitung'', which had been banned in 1943. However, in their first issue, the ''FAZ'' editorial expressly refuted the notion of being the earlier paper's successor, or of continuing its legacy:

{{blockquote|text= Arising from the fact that some of our colleagues previously were members of the ''Frankfurter Zeitung'', it often has been suggested an attempt was being made here to be the successor to that newspaper. Such an assumption misjudges our intentions. Like everyone, we too admired the high quality of that paper; ... however, showing respect for an outstanding achievement does not imply a desire to copy it.|sign= FAZ Editorial board|source= Dohrendorf, 1990.<ref>{{cite book |first=Rüdiger |last=Dohrendorf |title=Zum publizistischen Profil der ''Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung'': computerunterstützte Inhaltsanalyse von Kommentaren der FAZ |language=de |trans-title=On the media profile of the ''Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung'': computer-aided text analysis of commentary in the FAZ |publisher=Lang |location=Frankfurt am Main |year=1990 |orig-date=First published in 1990 as the author's doctoral thesis at the University of Hamburg |series=Europäische Hochschulschriften, Reihe XXII, Soziologie; Bd. 204. |isbn=978-3-631-43179-5 |oclc=25676477 |page=9 |quote=Aus der Tatsache, daß einige unserer Mitarbeiter früher der Redaktion der ‚Frankfurter Zeitung' angehört haben, ist vielfach geschlossen worden, hier werde der Versuch gemacht, die Nachfolgeschaft dieses Blattes anzutreten. Eine solche Annahme verkennt unsere Absichten. Wie jeder, so haben auch wir die hohen Qualitäten dieses Blattes bewundert; ... Aber der Respekt vor einer hervorragenden Leistung bedeutet noch nicht den Wunsch, sie zu kopieren.}}</ref>}}

Until 30 September 1950, the ''FAZ'' was printed in Mainz.

Traditionally, many of the headlines in the ''FAZ'' were styled in blackletter format, and no photographs appeared on the title page. Some of the rare exceptions were a picture of celebrating people in front of the Berlin Reichstag on 4 October 1990 (German Unity Day), and two pictures in the edition on 12 September 2001 (one day after the September 11 attacks) showing the collapsing World Trade Center and American president George W. Bush.

In the early 2000s, ''FAZ'' expanded aggressively, with customized sections for Berlin and Munich.<ref name="LandlerNYT2004">{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Landler |author-link= Mark Landler |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/19/business/media-woes-at-two-pillars-of-german-journalism.html |title= MEDIA; Woes at Two Pillars of German Journalism |newspaper=The New York Times |date=19 January 2004 |access-date=2 February 2015 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> An eight-page six-day-a-week English-language edition was distributed as an insert in ''The International Herald Tribune'' (which is owned by The New York Times Company); the articles were selected and translated from the same day's edition of the parent newspaper by the ''FAZ'' staff in Frankfurt.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/03/business/worldbusiness/03iht-partner.2.t.html |title=FAZ English Edition Debuts With the IHT |newspaper=The New York Times |date=3 April 2000 |access-date=2 February 2015 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> However, FAZ group{{Which|date=March 2024}} suffered a loss of 60.6 million euros in 2002. By 2004, the customized sections were scrapped. The English edition shrank to a tabloid published once a week.<ref name="LandlerNYT2004"/>

On 5 October 2007, the ''FAZ'' altered its traditional layout to include color photographs on the front page, and replaced blackletter typeface outside the nameplate. Due to its traditionally sober layout, the introduction of color photographs was controversially discussed by ''FAZ'' readers, becoming the subject of a 2009 comedy film.<ref>{{cite news |first=Hans-Jürgen |last=Jakobs |url=http://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/frankfurter-frakturen-und-sie-dreht-sich-doch-1.788362 |title=Und sie dreht sich doch |language=de |trans-title=And she in fact does change |newspaper=Süddeutsche Zeitung |date=17 May 2010 |access-date=2 February 2015}}</ref>

As of 2024, the ''FAZ'' is produced electronically using the IBM Networked Interactive Content Access (NICA) software and Unisys Hermes.<ref>{{cite news |title=Die FAZ modernisiert ihr Redaktionssystem |trans-title=The FAZ modernizes its editorial system |url=https://www.computerwoche.de/a/die-faz-modernisiert-ihr-redaktionssystem,1101298 |access-date=6 March 2024 |newspaper=Computerwoche |language=de}}</ref> For its characteristic comment headings, a digital Fraktur font was ordered. This font has since been abandoned, due to the above-mentioned change of layout.

After introducing the new spelling prescribed by the German orthography reform of 1996 on 1 August 1999, the paper returned to the old spelling exactly one year later, declaring that the reform had failed to achieve its primary goals of improving language mastery and strengthening the unity of the language.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://m.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/a-86856.html |title=Die "FAZ" ruft zur Konterrevolution auf |trans-title=The "FAZ" calls for counter-revolution |date=26 July 2000 |magazine=Der Spiegel |access-date=29 July 2024}}</ref> After several changes had been made to the new spelling, ''FAZ'' accepted it and started using it (in a custom version) on 1 January 2007.<ref>{{cite web |first=Dagmar |last=Giersberg |others=Translated by Hillary Crowe and Heather Moers |url=http://www.goethe.de/ges/spa/siw/en630493.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131218062147/http://www.goethe.de/ges/spa/siw/en630493.htm |archive-date=18 December 2013 |title=Chronicle of a Long Debate: The Spelling Reform |date=December 2007 |publisher=Goethe-Institut |access-date=2 February 2015}}</ref>

In December 1999, future German Chancellor Angela Merkel published an article in the {{Lang|de|Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung}}, lamenting the "tragedy" that had befallen the party (CDU donations scandal), blaming former Chancellor Helmut Kohl and urging a new course.<ref>{{cite news |first=Alison |last=Smale |author-link= Alison Smale |url= http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/the-making-of-angela-merkel/ |title=The Making of Angela Merkel |newspaper=The New York Times |date=30 October 2012 |access-date=2 February 2015}}</ref> On 16 February 2000, Wolfgang Schäuble, Leader of the CDU since 7 November 1998, stepped back, and Merkel became his successor.

==Orientation== {{Conservatism in Germany|Media}} Its political orientation is liberal-conservative,<ref name="enzensberger">Enzensberger, Hans Magnus (16 October 2007). [http://www.dradio.de/dlf/sendungen/marktundmedien/677966/ "Alter Wein in neuen Schläuchen"]. (in German). ''Deutschland Radio''.</ref> occasionally providing a forum to commentators with different opinions.

In the 2013 elections the paper endorsed the CDU/CSU alliance.<ref>{{cite web |first=Juan P. |last=Artero |title=Political Parallelism and Media Coalitions in Western Europe |url=https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Political%20Parallelism%20and%20Media%20Coalitions.pdf |work=Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism |access-date=8 April 2015 |format=Working paper |date=February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416100348/https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Political%20Parallelism%20and%20Media%20Coalitions.pdf |archive-date=16 April 2015}}</ref>

==Ownership== The company has the legal form of a GmbH (company with limited liability); the independent {{Interlanguage link|Fazit-Stiftung|lt=''Fazit-Stiftung Gemeinnützige Verlagsgesellschaft mbH''|de}} (Fazit-Foundation) is its majority shareholder, holding 93.7% of shares.<ref>Annual report of FAZIT Foundation at [http://www.ebundesanzeiger.de/ ebundesanzeiger.de]</ref> The FAZIT-Stiftung was created in 1959 by the transformation of the then ''FAZ'' owner {{Langx|de|Allgemeine Verlagsgesellschaft mbH}} into a private foundation. It is 'owned' by up to nine persons who can't sell or buy their share but have to transmit it free of charge to a successor which is co-opted by the remaining shareholders. The foundations statute prescribes that only such persons shall be co-opted as new member, who "by their standing and personality" can guarantee the "independence" of the ''FAZ''. The current group of seven is composed of active or former CEOs, company owners, board members, and corporate lawyers. The foundation also owns more than 90% of the shares of the company 'Frankfurter Societät' which in turn is owner of the printing enterprise 'Frankfurter Societätsdruckerei' and the regional paper Frankfurter Neue Presse.

==Circulation== thumb|left|Former Editorial department building of {{Lang|de|Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung}} The ''F.A.Z.'' is one of several high-profile national newspapers in Germany (along with ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'', {{Lang|de|Die Zeit}}, ''Frankfurter Rundschau'' and ''Die Tageszeitung''). In 2011, it counted 40 foreign correspondents among its staff.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YnIfBAAAQBAJ&dq=faz+anzahl+auslandskorrespondenten&pg=PA182 |title=Die Aneignung von Medienkultur: Rezipienten, politische Akteure und Medienakteure |trans-title=The appropriation of media culture: recipients, political actors and media actors |isbn=978-3-5319-3471-6 |last=Elsler |first=Monika |date=5 September 2011| publisher=Springer |language=de}}</ref> All in all, over 800 people are working for FAZ.<ref>[https://www.frankfurterallgemeine.de/die-faz www.frankfurterallgemeine.de] (retrieved 16 August 2025)</ref>

The 1993 circulation of the paper was 391,013 copies.<ref name=phum>{{cite book |first=Peter |last=Humphreys |title=Mass Media and Media Policy in Western Europe |series=European Policy Research Unit series |year=1996 |publisher=Manchester University Press |page=82 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2vlTzbOGhdIC&dq=media+and+magazines+in+central+europe&pg=PR6 |access-date=29 October 2014 |isbn=978-0-7190-3196-0 |oclc=33008396}}</ref> In 2001, it had a circulation of 409,000 copies.<ref name=adsm>{{cite news |first=Adam |last=Smith |title=Europe's Top Papers |url=http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/164161/ |access-date=5 February 2015 |magazine=Campaign |date=15 November 2002}}</ref> The 2007 circulation of the daily edition was 382,499 copies.<ref name=eu7>{{cite web |title=Science News? Overview of Science Reporting in the EU |url=http://ec.europa.eu/research/conferences/2007/bcn2007/overview_of_science_reporting_eu_en.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091120172631/http://ec.europa.eu/research/conferences/2007/bcn2007/overview_of_science_reporting_eu_en.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 November 2009 |website=EU |access-date=5 October 2013 |year=2007}}</ref> The 2016 (IVW II/2016) circulation of the daily edition was 256,188 copies.<ref name=eu16>{{cite web |title=About us: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung |url=http://en.faz.media/about-us/frankfurter-allgemeine-zeitung/ |work=EU |access-date=28 September 2016 |year=2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160928133552/http://en.faz.media/about-us/frankfurter-allgemeine-zeitung/ |archive-date=28 September 2016 }}</ref>

==Bans== In 2006, the ''FAZ'' was banned in Egypt for publishing articles which were deemed as "insulting Islam".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Impact of Blasphemy Laws on Human Rights |url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/PolicingBelief_Egypt.pdf |publisher=Freedom House |access-date=29 September 2013|format=Policy Brief}}</ref> In February 2008, the paper was again banned in Egypt due to the publication of cartoons depicting Muhammad.<ref>{{cite news |title=Der Spiegel issue on Islam banned in Egypt |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20080402-der-spiegel-issue-islam-banned-egypt-egypt-germany |access-date=29 September 2013 |work=France 24 |date=2 April 2008}}</ref>

In November 2012, the paper provoked strong criticism in Spain because of its stance against Spanish immigration to Germany during the economic crisis.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2012/11/19/internacional/1353321744.html |title=Aumenta el rechazo y temor a la 'avalancha' de españoles en Alemania |trans-title=Rejection and fear of the 'avalanche' of Spaniards in Germany grow |newspaper=El Mundo |location=Madrid |date=19 November 2012 |access-date=29 July 2024 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In July 2019, the ''FAZ'' website, along with other major German media, including ''Spiegel Online'', was blocked by China's Great Firewall. The reasons for the ban remain unclear, but ''FAZ'' believed it was possibly due to its reporting on the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.faz.net/1.6270744 |title=Internetzensur: China sperrt die F.A.Z. |last=Ankenbrand |first=Hendrik |access-date=9 July 2019 | trans-title=Internet censorship: China blocks the ''F.A.Z.'' |newspaper=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung| language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://cn.rfi.fr/%25E4%25B8%25AD%25E5%259B%25BD/20190708-%25E6%25B3%2595%25E5%2585%25B0%25E5%2585%258B%25E7%25A6%258F%25E6%25B1%2587%25E6%258A%25A5%25E7%25BD%2591%25E7%25AB%2599%25E4%25B9%259F%25E8%25A2%25AB%25E4%25B8%25AD%25E5%259B%25BD%25E5%25B1%258F%25E8%2594%25BD |title=《法兰克福汇报》网站也被中国屏蔽 |date=8 July 2019 |work=Radio France Internationale |access-date=9 July 2019 |language=zh-Hans |trans-title=''F.A.Z.'' website also blocked in China}}</ref>

== Notable contributors == {{div col|colwidth=20em}} * Muhammad Asad * {{ill|Patrick Bahners|de}} * {{ill|Hans D. Barbier|de}} * Eleonore Büning (music critic) * Dietmar Dath * Marc Degens * {{ill|Karl Feldmeier|de}} * Joachim Fest (former editor) * {{ill|Friedrich Karl Fromme|de}} (former editor) * {{ill|Greser & Lenz|de}} * Andrea Petkovic * {{ill|Georg Paul Hefty|de}} * Florian Illies * Daniel Kehlmann * Barbara Klemm (photographer) * Carsten Knop * Christian Kracht * Karl Lagerfeld (designer) * Ernst Nolte * {{ill|Andreas Platthaus|de}} * Marcel Reich-Ranicki * {{ill|Volker Reiche|de}} (see {{ill|Strizz|de}}) * Johann Georg Reißmüller (former editor) * Frank Schirrmacher * Werner Spies * Udo Ulfkotte (former editor) {{div col end}}

==See also== {{Portal bar|Journalism|Germany}} * List of newspapers in Germany * Media of Germany {{clear}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{cite book |last1=Merrill |first1=John Calhoun |last2=Fisher |first2=Harold A. |title=The World's Great Dailies |publisher=Hastings House |publication-place=New York |year=1980 |isbn=978-0-8038-8096-2 |pages=130–37}} * {{cite book |last=Hoeres |first=Peter |title=Zeitung für Deutschland |publisher=Benevento |publication-place=München Salzburg |year=2019 |isbn=978-3-7109-0080-8 |language=de}}

== External links == {{commons category}} * {{Official website}} {{in lang|de}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20040313173318/http://www.tu-berlin.de/fb1/AGiW/Cricetus/SOzuC1/SOVsRSR/ArchivSO/FAZ_7_00.htm Explanation for the return to the pre-reform spelling (in German)] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20041013122135/http://www.ketupa.net/faz.htm Ketupa.net – ''Frankfurter Zeitung'' and ''F.A.Z.''] media profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung}} Category:Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Category:1949 establishments in West Germany Category:Centre-right newspapers Category:Conservative liberalism Category:Conservative media in Germany Category:Daily newspapers published in Germany Category:German-language newspapers Category:German news websites Category:Liberal conservatism Category:Liberal media in Germany Category:Mass media in Frankfurt Category:Mass media in Mainz Category:Newspapers established in 1949 Category:Publishing companies established in 1949