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Bild

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Bild is a famous German newspaper that people read every day. Its name means "picture" in German. This name fits because the paper uses many photos to tell its stories.

Editorial office of Bild newspaper, West Berlin, 1977
Editorial office of Bild newspaper, West Berlin, 1977

It is a tabloid, which is a type of newspaper with short stories and large pictures. Even though it is a tabloid, it is actually quite large in size. It is the best-selling newspaper in all of Europe. It also has the sixteenth-largest circulation in the entire world. This makes it a very important part of how people get news in Germany.

There is a specific way the newspaper works to reach its readers. It is published from Monday to Saturday. On Sundays, a different sister paper called Bild am Sonntag is printed instead. The paper uses a mix of celebrity gossip, crime stories, and political news. To reach many people, it is printed in 32 different local editions across Germany.

Bild Automat
Bild Automat

You can even find special editions printed in holiday spots like Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Greece. Some people can even buy the paper from a vending machine. This helps the news reach people wherever they are.

A man named Axel Springer founded the paper in 1952. He was the head of a company called Axel Springer SE. For most of its history, the newspaper was based in the city of Hamburg. In March 2008, the headquarters moved to Berlin. The leaders said Berlin was an essential base for a national newspaper.

Editorial office of Bild newspaper, West Berlin, 1977
Editorial office of Bild newspaper, West Berlin, 1977

The paper has changed a lot since those early years. In the 1980s, it sold more than five million copies every single day. By 2001, it was the most read newspaper in Europe.

Numbers show how big the paper has been over time. In 1993, the circulation was slightly more than four million copies. Between 1995 and 1996, it reached 4,300,000 copies. In 2001, the number was 4,396,000 copies. The circulation has dropped recently as more people use the internet. By the end of 2005, it fell to 3.8 million copies. In 2010, the daily circulation was 3,548,000 copies.

Bild Automat
Bild Automat

In 2018, it printed about 2.2 million copies across Germany. It also has a large digital group called Bild plus.

You might recognize how Bild works by comparing it to other news. Its style is very similar to a British newspaper called The Sun. Both are famous tabloids that use big stories to get attention. Some people say Bild is very powerful and can influence German politicians. However, many people also criticize the paper for being sensational. This means they think it uses shocking stories to make people react. Some people even say its way of reporting is not always fair or respectful.

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File:Bild Automat.jpg
Bild Automat.jpg
File:Editorial office of Bild newspaper, West Berlin, 1977.jpg
Editorial office of Bild newspaper, West...
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