Jyllands-Posten
Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, commonly shortened to Jyllands-Posten or JP, is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Aarhus C, Jutland, and with a weekday circulation of approximately 120,000 copies.
The foundation behind the newspaper, Jyllands-Postens Fond, defines it as an independent newspaper. The paper officially supported the Conservative People's Party until 1938.
In 2005–06, the newspaper published cartoons that depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad which sparked violent protests around the world, and led to several attempted terrorist plots against the newspaper or its employees.
History
The newspaper was founded in 1871 and issued its first copy on 2 October of that year. Originally, the name Jyllandsposten was used, the hyphen being adopted in 1945. The current name was introduced in 1969. It also refers to itself as "Denmark's joke 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 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.
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.
1920s–1930s
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.During the 1920s and 1930s, 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 undoubtedly is, is exactly what the misruled Italian people need. In 1933, the newspaper advocated that Denmark follow Germany's example and replace petty party politics with the stability of an authoritarian regime. The paper considered the German Weimar republic to be a failure because of its lack of stability, and was sympathetic to Adolf Hitler's coming to power and the shutting down of democratic institutions. In March 1933, the paper wrote: Only dry tears will be cried at the grave of the Weimar Republic... As odd as it may sound, the only 12-year-old German constitution with its one-chamber-system, its low electoral age—20 years—and proportional representation is already antiquated. The editorial of 17 May 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...
On 15 November 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, even if we look past the racial theories, that mean so much in the national socialist world view We know, that tens of thousands of Jews condemn the Jewish business sharks, the Jewish pornography speculators and the Jewish terrorists. But still, it can not be denied, that the experiences which the Germans—as many other continental peoples—have had with regards to the Jews, form a certain basis for their persecution. One must give Germany, that they have a right to dispose of their Jews."
A front-page story in 1938 was an open letter to Mussolini criticizing the persecution of Jews, written by Kaj Munk, a prominent priest and playwright, who himself had though previously been sympathetic towards Mussolini and Hitler. In 1939, the paper rebuked the Danish government for signing a German-Danish treaty of non-aggression.
In Jyllands-Posten's own history of the paper, published on its website, the story of Kaj Munk's open letter to Mussolini and the paper's opposition to the Danish-German non-aggression treaty are mentioned, but not its sympathies towards Fascism and Nazism. The paper states: ''JP in this period turned itself firmly against the Soviet Union and world communism, while still maintaining a distance towards Germany, especially with its demands for a strengthened Danish military, and its support for the Danish minority in Southern Schleswig. In 1939 the paper, in opposition to the Copenhagen papers, went against the Danish-German non-aggression treaty.''
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. 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. 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. 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 were marked by a struggle with Berlingske Tidende which was seeking to expand its circulation in Jutland. 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. In the period of 1995-96, the daily had a circulation of 161,000 copies. An internet edition was launched in January 1996 as the second Danish online media, and 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 cooperation with a Swedish media company. In 2003, Jyllands-Posten merged with the rival publisher of Politiken and Ekstra Bladet when the companies of the papers merged. However, 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.
In 2012, Jyllands-Posten Foundation became a founding member of the European Press Prize.
Ownership
Since 1 January 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. Established in 1971, the fund's mission is to support the political and editorial independence of Jyllands-Posten.Chief-in-editors
- 1972 – 1974: Ole Bernt Henriksen
- 1976 – 1984: Laust Jensen
- 1985 – 1990: Asger Nørgaard Larsen
- 1992: Jørgen Schleimann
- 1993 – 2003: Jørgen Ejbøl
- 2003 – 2008: Carsten Juste
- 2008 – 2016: Jørn Mikkelsen
- 2016 – 2023: Jacob Nybroe
- 2024- : Marchen Neel Gjertsen
Sections and features
| Day | Sections | Description |
| Monday | Sport | Sports |
| Tuesday | International | International news and analysis |
| Wednesday | Forbrug | Consumer guides and reviews |
| Thursday | KulturWeekend | In-depth analysis of culture, often in relation to politics and international events |
| Friday | Tour | Automotive |
| Friday | Must* | Men's magazine |
| Friday | Viva* | Women's magazine |
| Saturday | Explorer | Travelling and leisure |
| Sunday | Living | Furnishing, home and lifestyle |