''Svalbardposten'', founded in 1948, is a Norwegian weekly paper and

online newspaper An online newspaper (or electronic news or electronic news publication) is the online version of a newspaper, either as a stand-alone publication or as the online version of a printed periodical. Going online created more opportunities for newspa ...

. It operates from

Longyearbyen Longyearbyen (, locally �lɔ̀ŋjɑrˌbyːən "The Longyear Town") is the world's northernmost settlement with a population greater than 1,000 and the largest inhabited area of Svalbard, Norway. It stretches along the foot of the left bank ...

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, and is published every Friday. It is the northernmost regularly published newspaper in the world. In 2014, it had a circulation of 2,636 copies every week.

The newspaper today

The newspaper was printed by a

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in wh ...

in Svalbard until 1996, which explains the paper's A4 format. Today, the newspaper is printed in

Tromsø Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies ...

, Norway. ''Svalbardposten'' has been awarded the

Local Newspaper of the Year Local Newspaper of the Year ( no, Årets lokalavis) is a Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to ...

Award three times, most recently in 2010. The award is handed out by the LLA, the organisation of local newspapers in Norway.

The history

''Svalbardposten'' started more or less as a wall poster, normally with four pages. The paper was hung up on the buildings where the coal miners were living. In the beginning the paper was described as "sometimes funny", but with "little information and seriousness".History (in Norwegian)
/ref> Throughout the years, the newspaper gradually became more professional. In the first years, the newspaper was published from September to May, but from 1986, ''Svalbardposten'' was published every Friday the whole year. After some economically tough years in the 1980s, the

Norwegian Ministry of Justice The Royal Ministry of Justice and Public Security ( no, Det kongelige justis- og beredskapsdepartement) is a Norwegian government ministry that oversees justice, the police, and domestic intelligence. The main purpose of the ministry is to provide ...

intervened to save the paper. A

foundation Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

, ''Stiftelsen Svalbardposten'', was established in 1992. The foundation now owns the newspaper, while a

joint-stock company A joint-stock company is a business entity in which shares of the company's capital stock, stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their share (finance), shares (certificates ...

, Svalbardposten AS, publishes the newspaper. In 1997, ''Svalbardposten'' launched its own website. Since September 2012, the readers need a subscription to read the news on the website.

References

External links

Official Site
Newspapers published in Norway Foundations based in Norway Companies based in Svalbard Longyearbyen Mass media in Svalbard 1948 establishments in Norway {{Norway-newspaper-stub