Morgunblaðið
Encyclopedia
Morgunblaðið (ˈmɔrkʏnˌplaðɪð, The Morning Paper) is a newspaper
published in Iceland
, founded by Vilhjálmur Finsen & Olaf Björnsson, brother to the first president. The first issue, only eight pages long, was published on 2 November 1913. Six years later, in 1919, the corporation
Árvakur bought out the company. The paper had close relations to the conservative Independence Party
, especially during the Cold War
, and its editors or their parliament reporters routinely sat in on meetings of the parliamentarian group of the party until 1983 when Chairman of the Board of Árvakur - and also the Chairman of the Independence Party -, Geir Hallgrímsson
, made the conclusion these relations would neither be in best the interests of the party nor of the paper. Although the connection to the Independence Party is not as direct as in previous decades, the paper is sometimes criticized for leaning too much towards the party, especially in election seasons. Although the paper shares the mainstream conservative values of the Independence Party it has also shown its independence on some key issues, especially in the debate on fishing rights distribution. Lately the paper has made a point of recruiting left-leaning journalists and has echoed feminist policies on the op-ed pages. Morgunblaðið is opposed to Icelandic membership of the European Union
.
Since its initial publication, Morgunblaðið was not published on Mondays, but soon established itself as the paper of record. While always being the number one newspaper in Iceland it took an absolute lead in the early 1970s and routed most of the competition, enjoying an unchallenged superiority for the next three decades. During this golden age, Morgunblaðið launched a number of special sections on finance, fisheries, food etc. After the freely distributed (by home delivery) Fréttablaðið
took the competition to a new level by starting a Monday edition, Morgunblaðið responded to the challenge and has since 2003 been published every day of the week, with varying amount of content reaching from 60 to 120 pages. Advertising accounts for 30% to 40% of the column space. Daily circulation is hovering between 50,000 and 55,000, the bulk being paid subscriptions. Circulation is mostly focused on the southwestern part of the country, especially in the capital Reykjavík
.
As a result of the Icelandic financial crisis, 24 stundir
, published by Morgunblaðið, ceased publication on 10 October 2008, resulting in 20 jobs being cut.
In a controversial decision, the owners of the paper decided in September 2009 to appoint Davíð Oddsson
, a member of the Independence Party
, Iceland's longest-serving Prime Minister and former head of the Central Bank, as one of the two editors of the paper.
mbl.is - the Morning Paper's website is the highest ranking Icelandic website with about 80 % domestic visits.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, founded by Vilhjálmur Finsen & Olaf Björnsson, brother to the first president. The first issue, only eight pages long, was published on 2 November 1913. Six years later, in 1919, the corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
Árvakur bought out the company. The paper had close relations to the conservative Independence Party
Independence Party (Iceland)
The Independence Party is a centre-right political party in Iceland. Liberal conservative and Eurosceptic, it is the second-largest party in the Althing, with sixteen seats. The chairman of the party is Bjarni Benediktsson and vice chairman is Ólöf Nordal....
, especially during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, and its editors or their parliament reporters routinely sat in on meetings of the parliamentarian group of the party until 1983 when Chairman of the Board of Árvakur - and also the Chairman of the Independence Party -, Geir Hallgrímsson
Geir Hallgrímsson
Geir Hallgrímsson was the 16th Prime Minister of Iceland for the Independence Party from 28 August 1974 to 1 September 1978. Geir was mayor of Reykjavík from 1959 to 1972. During his term as mayor he greatly expanded the city and improved the inner structure...
, made the conclusion these relations would neither be in best the interests of the party nor of the paper. Although the connection to the Independence Party is not as direct as in previous decades, the paper is sometimes criticized for leaning too much towards the party, especially in election seasons. Although the paper shares the mainstream conservative values of the Independence Party it has also shown its independence on some key issues, especially in the debate on fishing rights distribution. Lately the paper has made a point of recruiting left-leaning journalists and has echoed feminist policies on the op-ed pages. Morgunblaðið is opposed to Icelandic membership of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Since its initial publication, Morgunblaðið was not published on Mondays, but soon established itself as the paper of record. While always being the number one newspaper in Iceland it took an absolute lead in the early 1970s and routed most of the competition, enjoying an unchallenged superiority for the next three decades. During this golden age, Morgunblaðið launched a number of special sections on finance, fisheries, food etc. After the freely distributed (by home delivery) Fréttablaðið
Fréttablaðið
Fréttablaðið is the Icelandic newspaper with the largest circulation. Fréttablaðið is in Icelandic and is distributed free of charge to homes in parts of the country.It is published by the media group 365 prentmiðlar....
took the competition to a new level by starting a Monday edition, Morgunblaðið responded to the challenge and has since 2003 been published every day of the week, with varying amount of content reaching from 60 to 120 pages. Advertising accounts for 30% to 40% of the column space. Daily circulation is hovering between 50,000 and 55,000, the bulk being paid subscriptions. Circulation is mostly focused on the southwestern part of the country, especially in the capital Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
.
As a result of the Icelandic financial crisis, 24 stundir
24 stundir
24 stundir was the third largest daily newspaper in Iceland, first published in May 2005. The paper was originally named Blaðið , but this was changed in October 2007...
, published by Morgunblaðið, ceased publication on 10 October 2008, resulting in 20 jobs being cut.
In a controversial decision, the owners of the paper decided in September 2009 to appoint Davíð Oddsson
Davíð Oddsson
Davíð Oddsson is an Icelandic politician and the longest-serving Prime Minister of Iceland, holding office from 1991 to 2004. He also served as Foreign Minister from 2004 to 2005. Previously, he was Mayor of Reykjavík from 1982 to 1991, and he chaired the board of governors of the Central Bank of...
, a member of the Independence Party
Independence Party (Iceland)
The Independence Party is a centre-right political party in Iceland. Liberal conservative and Eurosceptic, it is the second-largest party in the Althing, with sixteen seats. The chairman of the party is Bjarni Benediktsson and vice chairman is Ólöf Nordal....
, Iceland's longest-serving Prime Minister and former head of the Central Bank, as one of the two editors of the paper.
mbl.is - the Morning Paper's website is the highest ranking Icelandic website with about 80 % domestic visits.
See also
External links
- Morgunblaðið website
- Morgunblaðið in the VESTNORD project - archive with all issues from 1913-1993.