FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG

( (German: Frankfurt General Newspaper), ) abbreviation Faz, daily newspaper published in Frankfurt am Main, one of the most prestigious and influential in Germany. FAZ was created after World War II by a group of journalists who had worked on the highly respected Frankfurter Zeitung before the war. The earlier paper was suppressed by Adolf Hitler in 1943, and under the Allied occupation forces another paper, the Allgemeine Zeitung, was started. When control of the press was turned over to the new West German government in 1949, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung began publication, pledging truth, objectivity, and fair treatment of opposing viewpoints. FAZ was the first West German daily of truly national scope, and it quickly won a reputation for responsible reporting. Its sober makeup and sparing use of illustrations give it a serious appearance consonant with its approach to world and national news. The staff considers the paper's editorial policy to be centrist, but it is widely accounted conservative because of its championship of private enterprise. More than 10 percent of its readers are in other countries of Europe and abroad.