Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad
Edition of 4 April 1899
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| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | P. A. Daum |
| Founded | 1 December 1885 |
| Language | Dutch |
| Ceased publication | December 1957 |
| Headquarters | Batavia, Dutch East Indies |
The Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad (Dutch pronunciation: [baːˈtaːviaːs ˈniusblɑt]; Batavian Newspaper) was one of the leading and largest daily newspapers in the Dutch East Indies. It was based in Batavia (now Jakarta) on Java, but read throughout the archipelago. It was founded by the famous Dutch newspaperman and author P. A. Daum in 1885 and existed to 1957.
The innovative and popular newspaper was very critical towards the colonial government and became a mouthpiece for the Indos in the Dutch East Indies, who were the largest Dutch speaking segment of society. Over the years it had employed many leading figures from the Indo-European (Eurasian) community, including: E. du Perron, Ernest Douwes Dekker and Tjalie Robinson. P.A. Daum's successor as editor in chief Karel Zaalberg, became the founder of the Indo Europeesch Verbond, the largest social movement and political organisation for Indo-Europeans.
The progressive newspaper also gave ample publicity to the plight of the indigenous peasantry and the evolution of Indonesian national awareness. It was the first to report on the founding of the first indigenous political organisation Budi Utomo in 1908.
Idealistic founder P. A. Daum was well aware the Dutch Indies press played an important role in social, political and cultural developments in the Dutch East Indies. Not only as a conveyor of news and information, but also as a commentator, opinion maker and at times sharp critic of the colonial government.
"...we grab the pen in an attempt to describe the misery of a whole population, caused by the deplorable system of colonial governance, under which they suffer." – P. A. Daum
At the height of his career as both a journalist and novelist Daum's hardest collision with the colonial authority occurred in 1885 in Semarang, when he was chief editor of Het Indisch Vaderland (The Indies Fatherland). When legal proceedings were taken against him he lost his job and the paper, which led to his departure to Batavia. There he founded the Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad with D. A. Hooyer director of Kolff Publishing. The first issue appeared on 1 December 1885. In 1887 Daum was still convicted for his conflict with the authorities in Semarang and sent to jail in Batavia for a month. He nonetheless kept managing his newspaper from prison.
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