''Het Volk'' ( en, The People) was a
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
that focused on "news with a human undertone".
History
''Het Volk'' was first published in 1891. It was the only paper controlled by the
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
labour organizations in
Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...
. It opposed
socialism
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
. It adopted "anti-socialist daily" as its slogan. The paper was distributed in Ghent,
Aalst and
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
. In 1912, the slogan was changed to "Christian labourer's daily".
In 1925, ''Het Volk'' was the first newspaper in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
to publish a small Sunday issue, "Het Zondagsblad" ("The Sunday Paper"). In 1930 it adopted the subtitle "Catholic Democratic Newspaper of Flanders". During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Het Volk sold 35,000 a day. It gained international attention in 1944 when it was the first - and for a time, the only - paper to report the
Von Rundstedt Offensive
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...
in the
Ardennes
The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...
. After the war, ''Het Volk'' started organizing sports events. In 1945, the first
Omloop Het Volk cycling race was held. In 1952, ''Het Volk'' purchased ''
De Nieuwe Gids
''De Nieuwe Gids'' (meaning ''The New Guide'' in English) was a Dutch illustrated literary periodical which was published from 1885 to 1943. It played an important role in promoting the literary movement of the 1880s. Its contents covered a wide ...
'', a Brussels newspaper. ''De Nieuwe Gids'' has disappeared. Their other "cover-paper" ''
De Gentenaar'' existed.
In 1994, ''Het Volk'' was purchased by the
Vlaamse Uitgeversmaatschappij
Mediahuis is a newspaper & magazine publishing, distribution, printing, TV, radio and online media company founded in 2014 with assets in Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Luxembourg and Germany. Mediahuis publishes daily newspaper titles in Belg ...
. Then the paper became part of
Corelio
Mediahuis is a newspaper & magazine publishing, distribution, printing, TV, radio and online media company founded in 2014 with assets in Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Luxembourg and Germany. Mediahuis publishes daily newspaper titles in Belg ...
.
Since 2001, differences between ''Het Volk'', ''
Het Nieuwsblad
''Het Nieuwsblad'' (; en, The Newspaper) is a Flemish newspaper that mainly focusses on "a broad view" regarding politics, culture, economics, lifestyle, society and sports.
History and profile
In 1929, ''Het Nieuwsblad'' was published by ...
'' and ''De Gentenaar'' was small and restricted to the front page. In 2000, ''Het Volk'' left Ghent and moved to
Groot-Bijgaarden
Groot-Bijgaarden (officially) or Grand-Bigard is a village and deelgemeente in the municipality of Dilbeek, a suburb of Brussels, in Flanders, Belgium.
Toponymy
The name Bijgaarden is derived from the Germanic word for enclosure. The appellation ...
, near Brussels.
''Het Volk'' ceased publication on 10 May 2008 when it merged with its sister newspaper ''Het Nieuwsblad''.
[
]
Mission statement
"You will find what you are looking for in ''Het Volk'', the only newspaper where people really make the news. You will read everything on small and big events in your neighborhoods, your cities and far beyond. In ''Het Volk'', you won't be forced to swallow pre-chewn articles on politics or economics, but real news with a human undertone."
Circulation
In 1980 its weekday circulation was 220,000. The paper's circulation in 2002 was 112,301 copies. Next year the circulation of the paper fell to 88,000 copies. Its circulation was 83,000 copies in 2004.
In 2006 ''Het Volk'' had an average weekday circulation of 77,000 copies, according to the Centrum voor Informatie over de Media. The circulation of the paper was 78,000 copies in 2007.
''Het Volk'' had an average market share of 11.5% in Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
. It was 8.9% in 2002.[
]
Youth supplements
From 1947 until the late 1980s the newspaper published a weekly youth supplement named '''t Kapoentje
''t Kapoentje'' (literally: "The Little Rascal") was a youth supplement published by the Flemish newspaper ''Het Volk (newspaper), Het Volk'' from April 3, 1947 until 1989. It was notable for its comics and, together with ''Ons Volkske'', the most ...
'', which was notable for its comics
a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
. Together with '' Ons Volkske'' it was the leading and most important comic book magazine in Flanders.
''Het Volkske'' ( en, The Small 'Het Volk'/The Small People) was the weekly children's supplement of the Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
newspaper ''Het Volk''. The supplement appeared every Wednesday as this was the day schools in Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
closed at noon (as opposed to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays). Next to a letters page and a series of articles on music, movies and other subjects that might interest schoolchildren
A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution.
In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...
, the supplement also had a special children's news section where current events were explained in simple language.
Notes
External links
Newspapers in the class room
{{Belgian newspapers
1891 establishments in Belgium
2008 disestablishments in Belgium
Defunct newspapers published in Belgium
Dutch-language newspapers published in Belgium
Publications established in 1891
Publications disestablished in 2008