Il Foglio
 | |
 A copy of Il Foglio in 2016 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Il Foglio Quotidiano Società Cooperativa |
| Editor | Claudio Cerasa |
| Founded | 30 January 1996 |
| Political alignment | |
| Language | Italian |
| Headquarters | Via del Tritone 132, Rome Via Vittor Pisani 19, Milan |
| Circulation | Daily: 25.000 (2015) Overall: 47.000 (2015) |
| ISSN | 1128-6164 |
| Website | ilfoglio |
Il Foglio ("The Paper"), or more formally Il Foglio quotidiano ("The Daily Paper"), is an Italian daily newspaper with nationwide circulation. It was founded in 1996 by Giuliano Ferrara, an Italian journalist, television host, and politician. Since 2015, it has been edited by Claudio Cerasa.[1]
Description
[edit]The newspaper takes its name from its broadsheet format wrapped around several pages of inserts; pages of the insert are indicated with Roman numerals, while those of the newspaper are printed with Arabic numerals. Since the 2010s, there have been occasional editions with an additional sheet featuring cartoons on the front and back and featured articles or advertisements on the inside pages. Saturday editions carry the words "Weekend Edition" next to the date; these issues can reach 16 pages, also containing regular columns and cultural reviews.
The Monday edition, mostly prepared several days prior, has a different layout and the articles are printed in a larger font. This issue contains mostly opinions and comment. An essay appears on the front page, which often continues inside the main sheet; page 3 is titled Un Foglio internazionale ("An International Sheet") and contains reports from the foreign press.
History
[edit]Il Foglio was founded in Milan in 1996 by Ferrara after he left as editor of the magazine Panorama.[2] The paper is headquartered in Rome.[3] It was originally published five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday. It had a four-page spread and a dense layout in six columns. There were no photographs, but only drawn portraits and cartoons. It was presented as an in-depth newspaper, for a second reading of the news of the day.
At the opening of the front page there was a column, La Giornata ("The Day"), summarising the events of the day. Page three had editorials. The newspaper mainly consisted of in-depth articles on current events and politics, both Italian and international.
All articles were strictly anonymous, except for a handful of personal columns published daily. The editor's contributions were marked at the bottom with an elephant symbol.
Seven months after its foundation, the Monday edition was launched, accompanied by a distinct masthead, Il Foglio dei Fogli ("The Sheet of Sheets"), and independent numbering. The issue was edited by Giorgio Dell'Arti, who selected the articles published in the national and international press in the past week.
In 2000, the Sunday edition was launched. However, the edition did poorly and was closed at the end of 2004.
In 2007, the paper mounted an anti-abortion campaign, and in 2023 declared "unhesitating" support for Israel during the Israel–Hamas war.
Political leanings
[edit]The newspaper has tended to express a conservative line in politics and a liberal one in economics. Anglo-American conservatism can roughly be considered its closest political position. It features editorials inspired by American newspapers, especially The Wall Street Journal.
A significant part of its journalists are members or were members of the Radical Party. This newspaper also hosts several articles from left-leaning and independent columnists. In 2004, Angelo Agostini classed it as an activist daily (quotidiano-attivista), alongside Libero on the political right and l'Unità on the political left, in contrast to the institution daily (quotidiano-istituzione) like Corriere della Sera and La Stampa, and the agenda daily (quotidiano-agenda) like La Repubblica.[4]
Ownership
[edit]Since 2016, the paper has been owned by Sorgente Group, a group operating in the field of real estate investments and finance and chaired by Valter Mainetti.[5]
Previously, in April 2006, Ferrara gave the following breakdown of ownership:
- PBF S.r.l.—38%
- Sergio Zuncheddu (Sardinian builder and owner of the largest daily newspaper of Sardinia, l'Unione Sarda, and of some regional television broadcasting companies, such as Videolina and Tele Costa Smeralda)—20% to 25%
- Denis Verdini (former national coordinator of The People of Freedom)—15%
- Ferrara himself—10%
- Michele Colasanto—10%
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "Foglio, Il nell'Enciclopedia Treccani". Treccani (in Italian). Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
- ^ Smoltczyk, Alexander (28 November 2005). "The Halls of Power in Italy: Dining with Berlusconi's Brain". Der Spiegel. No. 48. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ^ "Communicating Europe: Italy Manual" (PDF). European Stability Initiative. 19 May 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- ^ Saitta, Eugénie (April 2006). "The Transformations of Traditional Mass Media Involvement in the Political and Electoral Process" (PDF). Nicosia, Cyprus: European Consortium for Political Research. pp. 5–6. Archived from the original (Conference Paper) on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
Angelo Agostini (2004) distinguishes three types of Italian daily newspapers: ... and [the third type] the activist daily ('quotidiano-attivista') such as Il Foglio, Libero or L'Unità. ... The third kind of daily newspapers is the most recent type, and has only appeared in recent years. It regularly organises mobilisation: from the struggle against immigration initiated by Libero, to the "USA Day" proposed by Il Foglio to support the United States after 11 September 2001, or the rounds (girotondi) organised by L'Unità to protest against war in Iraq.
- ^ "A Sorgente il 30% della Gazzetta. Mainetti: 'Una nuova avventura'". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 16 December 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
External links
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