La Libre Belgique
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| Type | Daily newspaper (six times per week) |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner(s) | La Libre Belgique S.A. |
| Publisher | IPM publishing group |
| Editor | Vincent Slits |
| Founded | As Le Patriote: 1884 As La Libre Belgique: 1915 |
| Headquarters | Rue des Francs 47, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium |
| Circulation | 42,000 (2010) |
| Website | www |
La Libre Belgique (French: [la libʁ bɛlʒik]; literally, "The Free Belgium"), now sold under the name La Libre, is a French language daily newspaper in Belgium. It is seen as roughly equivalent to De Standaard in Flanders. The paper was originally pro-catholic, but it is now often critical about the Catholic Church. Along with another high circulation French-speaking newspaper Le Soir, it dominates the market in Wallonia and Brussels.
La Libre Belgique originated as Le Patriot in 1884 and had a pro-Catholic stance. It was renamed La Libre Belgique and was published as part of the underground press in February 1915 during the German occupation of Belgium during World War I. The publishers were the brothers Louis and Victor Jourdain who had been active in the world of newspaper publishing before the war. Hence its name which was at the same time an allusion to the collaborationist paper La Belgique. Several weeks before the end of the hostilities, both of the Jourdain brothers died of natural causes. Their work was continued by Victor’s two sons Joseph and Paul Jourdain.
The newspaper was also published secretly during World War II in a number of unofficial editions. Until 1999 the paper had a strong Catholic stance and has a centrist leaning.
La Libre is published six times per week (from Monday to Saturday) by the IPM publishing group and has its headquarters in Brussels. The current editor in chief is Vincent Slits. The online edition of the paper was started in 2001. The paper has been published in tabloid format since 2002.
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