Sweden's Post-och Inrikes Tidningar newspaper, which circulated in print from 1645 through January 1 of this year, now only exists in digital form, the AP notes. "It's a fate, many ink-stained writers and readers fear, that may await many of the world's most venerable journals."
Former editor Hans Holm said of the decision "We think it's a cultural disaster. It is sad when you have worked with it for so long and it has been around for so long."
Post-och Inrikes Tidningar ("mail and domestic tidings") was established by the queen to announce government decisions; today the paper contains "legal announcements by corporations, courts and certain government agencies." Its circulation in print form was about 1,000 per day.
A spokesman for the World Association of Newspapers said the publication will remain at the top of their "oldest newspapers" list, since "An online newspaper is still a newspaper."
This has prompted some alternate definitions of newspaper: must it be printed? I guess if we're going to allow "e-books" to be known as books, we'll probably have to let this one go too.
(h/t Everett Wilkie, Ex-Libris)
