Austria's parliament has passed a law ending the daily publication of the Wiener Zeitung, a government-run newspaper that has been in print since 1703.
The newspaper has been owned by the Austrian government since 1857 and serves as an official state publication, featuring advertisements for government job openings and official statements.
The Zeitung is the world's oldest newspaper still in print ― it used to report on Mozart when he lived in late 18th-century Vienna.
- The Austrian parliament on Thursday passed legislation to end a rule mandating that the government and Austrian companies take out advertisements in the newspaper.
- The law aims to turn the Zeitung into a publication for "training and further education."
- Readers and Zeitung staff have staged several protests against the bill outside of the Austrian Federal Assembly.
- Going forward, the paper will have a monthly print edition and be available online.
