The New Hampshire Gazette
Encyclopedia
The New Hampshire Gazette is a non-profit, alternative, bi-weekly newspaper
published in Portsmouth
, New Hampshire
. Its editors claim that the paper, published on-and-off in one form or another since 1756, is America's oldest newspaper and has trademarked the phrase "The Nation's Oldest Newspaper."
. It was the first newspaper of any type in the Province of New Hampshire
. In his years in Boston
before founding the Gazette, Fowle, a slave-holder
, was the first to print the words of Samuel Adams
, and had spent time in prison for printing anti-British pamphlets "The Monster of Monsters" and "A Total Eclipse of Liberty."
The Gazette continued to be published through Fowle's death in 1787, and in 1839, it was recognized as the oldest newspaper in America after the Maryland Gazette ceased publication. Starting in the 1890s, the Gazette was published by The Portsmouth Herald
on weekends as a supplement to the Herald. In 1960, the Gazette was renamed the Herald Weekend Edition, although the masthead
indicated that the paper was "Continuing the New Hampshire Gazette."
In 1989, it was discovered by a descendant of Daniel Fowle's, Steven Fowle
, that the Herald let go of the trade name for the Gazette. Fowle registered the rights to the name and that spring began publishing the Gazette as an independent entity "episodically, in a very small format" until May 1, 1999, when it began to be published in its current format and schedule.
The Hartford Courant, founded as a weekly in 1764 http://www.hartford.gov/history/default.htm, calls itself the nation's oldest continuously published newspaper, and is cited as such in standard journalism history texts.http://www.courant.com/about/thc-history,0,4107859.html It was an independent company until being absorbed by the Times Mirror chain around 1980, then Tribune Corporation acquired Times-Mirror. In contrast, the New Hampshire Gazette has changed owners "over two-dozen times," by its owner's count, and has sometimes been merged with other publications. http://www.nhgazette.com/about/
The Newport Mercury in Rhode Island was identified as the nation's oldest newspaper during one of the New Hampshire Gazette's lulls. It was founded in 1758 http://books.google.com/books?id=fnkyAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA81&lpg=PA81&dq=%22newport+mercury%22+history&source=bl&ots=Nqm2-C2pZS&sig=ofTA7McWxEA3xC6czK3qCmDrRoE&hl=en&ei=l3FOSsqVKdGMtgeklsSzBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5. The Mercury eventually was published by The Newport Daily News as a weekly by-mail edition, reprinting stories from the daily for out-of-town subscribers. Most recently, it became a tabloid magazine and Web site using the addess newportmercury.com but also using the name "Mercury Magazine." http://www.newportmercury.comhttp://www.newportdailynews.com/about/#History
, usually of 14-20 pages, the Gazette's front page is usually an editorial called the "The Fortnightly rant" covering a few subjects of national or regional importance, accompanied by a political cartoon by Mike Dater reflecting the editorial. The motto of the newspaper is the motto of the state of New Hampshire
, Live free or die
.
Among articles of varying size and content are regular columns such as "Moving Pictures" (film commentary) by Rodman Philbrick and most notedly a regular essay, "History Matters," covering two pages or more by Portsmouth historian
J. Dennis Robinson. Other regular features include "Hate Mail, Mash Notes, & Other Correspondence" (the letters page), the "Northcountry chronicle", an editorial by William Marvel, "Free The Media Press" (stories culled from the New Hampshire Indymedia Collective), and a reprinting of "Vintage News" from past issues of the Gazette usually dating to the mid-19th century, ("Better old news, than new lies."). The most popular section of the newspaper is "Admiral Fowle's Piscataqua River
Tidal Guide" on the last page which, in addition to a chronology of the tides to take place over each day of the upcoming two weeks, contains an idiosyncratic, and often hilarious listing of significant events from that day in history.
, at over 5,500 readers, is relatively small, but considering that it is a non-profit independent paper that has no marketing, it can be considered a significant number. Its readership is also very loyal, with nearly 1,000 mail subscribers spread out throughout the country.http://www.nhgazette.com/about/
-type website. Content from each issue of the paper is minimal in comparison with how most newspapers publish articles online as well as in print, though the Gazette occasionally does offer a .pdf
of an issue, usually a couple of weeks after its publication.
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 Portsmouth
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. Its editors claim that the paper, published on-and-off in one form or another since 1756, is America's oldest newspaper and has trademarked the phrase "The Nation's Oldest Newspaper."
History
The New Hampshire Gazette was founded in Portsmouth on October 7, 1756, by printer Daniel FowleDaniel Fowle (printer)
Daniel Fowle was an American printer before and during the American Revolution, and the founder of The New Hampshire Gazette. Fowle, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, was an active printer in the city beginning in 1740...
. It was the first newspaper of any type in the Province of New Hampshire
Province of New Hampshire
The Province of New Hampshire is a name first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America. It was formally organized as an English royal colony on October 7, 1691, during the period of English colonization...
. In his years in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
before founding the Gazette, Fowle, a slave-holder
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, was the first to print the words of Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams was an American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As a politician in colonial Massachusetts, Adams was a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and was one of the architects of the principles of American...
, and had spent time in prison for printing anti-British pamphlets "The Monster of Monsters" and "A Total Eclipse of Liberty."
The Gazette continued to be published through Fowle's death in 1787, and in 1839, it was recognized as the oldest newspaper in America after the Maryland Gazette ceased publication. Starting in the 1890s, the Gazette was published by The Portsmouth Herald
The Portsmouth Herald
The Portsmouth Herald is a seven-day daily newspaper serving greater Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Its coverage area also includes the municipalities of Greenland, New Castle, Newington and Rye, New Hampshire; and Eliot, Kittery, Kittery Point and South Berwick, Maine.News Corporation acquired The...
on weekends as a supplement to the Herald. In 1960, the Gazette was renamed the Herald Weekend Edition, although the masthead
Masthead (publishing)
The masthead is a list, published in a newspaper or magazine, of its staff. In some publications it names only the most senior individuals; in others, it may name many or all...
indicated that the paper was "Continuing the New Hampshire Gazette."
In 1989, it was discovered by a descendant of Daniel Fowle's, Steven Fowle
Steven Fowle
Steven Fowle is the current owner, editor, and publisher of America's oldest newspaper, The New Hampshire Gazette.- External links :* *...
, that the Herald let go of the trade name for the Gazette. Fowle registered the rights to the name and that spring began publishing the Gazette as an independent entity "episodically, in a very small format" until May 1, 1999, when it began to be published in its current format and schedule.
Claims of seniority
The Newport Mercury in Rhode Island was identified as the nation's oldest newspaper during one of the New Hampshire Gazette's lulls. It was founded in 1758 http://books.google.com/books?id=fnkyAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA81&lpg=PA81&dq=%22newport+mercury%22+history&source=bl&ots=Nqm2-C2pZS&sig=ofTA7McWxEA3xC6czK3qCmDrRoE&hl=en&ei=l3FOSsqVKdGMtgeklsSzBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5. The Mercury eventually was published by The Newport Daily News as a weekly by-mail edition, reprinting stories from the daily for out-of-town subscribers. Most recently, it became a tabloid magazine and Web site using the addess newportmercury.com but also using the name "Mercury Magazine." http://www.newportmercury.comhttp://www.newportdailynews.com/about/#History
Content and format
The Gazette, as an alternative paper, is more focused on commentary than the reporting of day to day, or week to week events. It's editorial content can easily be described as "liberal." In recent years the paper has cemented its self-imposed mission as an independent voice railing against corporate media and conservative political control.Content
Published every two weeks as a smaller format broadsheetBroadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
, usually of 14-20 pages, the Gazette's front page is usually an editorial called the "The Fortnightly rant" covering a few subjects of national or regional importance, accompanied by a political cartoon by Mike Dater reflecting the editorial. The motto of the newspaper is the motto of the state of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, Live free or die
Live Free or Die
"Live Free or Die" is the official motto of the U.S. state of New Hampshire, adopted by the state in 1945. It is possibly the best-known of all state mottos, partly because it speaks to an assertive independence historically found in American political philosophy and partly because of its contrast...
.
Among articles of varying size and content are regular columns such as "Moving Pictures" (film commentary) by Rodman Philbrick and most notedly a regular essay, "History Matters," covering two pages or more by Portsmouth historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
J. Dennis Robinson. Other regular features include "Hate Mail, Mash Notes, & Other Correspondence" (the letters page), the "Northcountry chronicle", an editorial by William Marvel, "Free The Media Press" (stories culled from the New Hampshire Indymedia Collective), and a reprinting of "Vintage News" from past issues of the Gazette usually dating to the mid-19th century, ("Better old news, than new lies."). The most popular section of the newspaper is "Admiral Fowle's Piscataqua River
Piscataqua River
The Piscataqua River, in the northeastern United States, is a long tidal estuary formed by the confluence of the Salmon Falls and Cocheco rivers...
Tidal Guide" on the last page which, in addition to a chronology of the tides to take place over each day of the upcoming two weeks, contains an idiosyncratic, and often hilarious listing of significant events from that day in history.
Circulation
The paper's circulationNewspaper circulation
A newspaper's circulation is the number of copies it distributes on an average day. Circulation is one of the principal factors used to set advertising rates. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold, often called paid circulation, since some newspapers are distributed without cost to the...
, at over 5,500 readers, is relatively small, but considering that it is a non-profit independent paper that has no marketing, it can be considered a significant number. Its readership is also very loyal, with nearly 1,000 mail subscribers spread out throughout the country.http://www.nhgazette.com/about/
Website
For many years, the website for the Gazette had many resources in relation to its history, including a 19th century reproduction of its very first issue, a timeline and explanation of its position as oldest newspaper, and much more. Beginning the summer of 2007, the website changed focus and format to that of blogBlog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
-type website. Content from each issue of the paper is minimal in comparison with how most newspapers publish articles online as well as in print, though the Gazette occasionally does offer a .pdf
Portable Document Format
Portable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
of an issue, usually a couple of weeks after its publication.
External links
- The New Hampshire Gazette online
- The Gazette at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- The Gazette
' s History page - A 1998 interview with Steven Fowle
- University of New Hampshire history of early New Hampshire media beginning with the Gazette