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Det fri Aktuelt was a daily newspaper published in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 1871 and 2001. It was the first socialist[1] and the earliest newspaper published by a labor union in the world.[2] In addition, it was the last major social democrat newspaper in Denmark.[3]
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Founder(s) | Louis Pio |
| Founded | 22 July 1871 |
| Political alignment | Social democratic |
| Language | Danish |
| Ceased publication | April 2001 |
| Headquarters | Copenhagen |
| Country | Denmark |
The newspaper was established under the name of Socialisten (Danish: the Socialist)[4] by the cofounder of the Social Democratic party, Louis Pio, in 1871.[5][6] Its first issue appeared on 22 July that year.[7] The paper was the organ of the Social Democratic party.[5][8] Its headquarters was in Copenhagen.[9] In the mid-1970s, the owner of the paper was A/S FagbevægeIsens Presse, a limited liability company.[10] Then It became owned by the trade union movement until 1987, when it declared its independence and freedom.[6] The paper was published by the Labour Movement Press during its final years.[8]
The paper was published under different names.[5] The original name, Socialisten, was changed into Socialdemokraten in 1874.[4] It was used until 1959, when it began to be published under the name of Aktuelt.[5][11] In 1987, the paper was renamed as Det fri Aktuelt.[5]
Aktuelt had a Sunday edition which was published in tabloid format from 1966.[10] In 1973, the format of the paper was also changed to tabloid.[5]
Being an official media outlet of the Social Democratic party the paper had a social democrat political leaning.[10][13] At the end of the 1880s it discouraged the immigration of Swede workers to Denmark.[4] However, its attitude towards them totally changed in the 1890s, and it supported the right of poor Swede workers to obtain Danish citizenship.[4] The paper followed the decisions taken in the Second International and adopted a positive approach towards labor immigration to the country until World War I.[4] It also supported the immigration of the Russian socialist refugees and Jews to the country from 1905 to the end of World War I.[4] The paper suggested in 1975 that East Germany was one of the places for Danish families to visit during the summer holidays.[14]
Emil Wiinblad was appointed editor-in-chief of the paper in 1881.[15] At the beginning of the 1930s the editor of the paper was H. P. Sørensen.[16] Carsten Jensen was among its contributors.[17][18] As of 1997 Lisbeth Knudsen was the editor-in-chief.[19]
In 1901 the circulation of the paper was 42,000 copies.[1] From 1911 to the 1950s the paper had a fixed circulation of 55,000 copies.[5] During the last six months of 1957 its circulation was 39,445 copies on weekdays.[20] The paper sold 41,000 copies in 1963.[4] Its circulation was 39,400 copies during the first half of 1966.[21] The paper sold 53,000 copies in 1973 and 54,600 copies in 1983.[4]
The circulation of Det fri Aktuelt was 47,000 copies in 1991 and 45,000 copies in 1992.[22] The paper sold 41,300 copies in 1993.[4] Its circulation was 40,000 copies in 1994, 39,000 copies in 1995 and 37,000 copies in 1996.[22] It further fell to 36,000 copies in 1997, to 30,000 copies in 1998 and to 28,000 copies in 1999.[22] Its circulation was 26,000 copies both in the first quarter of 2000 and in 2000 as a whole, making it one of the top 20 newspapers in the country.[22][23]
Legacy
The photo archive of the paper is kept in Arbejdermuseet (Danish: the Workers' Museum).[24][25]
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