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Type | Daily newspaper |
---|---|
Format | Berliner |
Owner(s) | Süddeutscher Verlag (70%), dd vg (30%) |
Editor | Herbert Wessels |
Founded | 15 August 1952 |
Political alignment | Left Wing Liberal |
Headquarters | Suhl |
Website | [1] |
Freies Wort is the largest regional newspaper in southern Thuringia. Including Meininger Tageblatt, Freies Wort has a circulation of 80,000.
The newspaper was founded as an organ of the Suhl sector of the SED.[1] It was first published as Das Freie Wort on 15 August 1952 with a circulation of 157,400 and was the smallest SED-controlled newspaper at the time and eight city desks. The newspaper was renamed to Freies Wort on 9 March 1956.
After German reunification, the newspaper was privatised in 1991 and sold to Süddeutscher Verlag, Munich (which now holds 70%) and Deutsche Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft (owned by the SPD political party, holding 30%).
The chief editor is Herbert Wessels (since 2009), second editor is Markus Ermert (since 2002).
Freies Wort has seven local news desks: