Jaunākās Ziņas (Latvian: The Latest News) was a newspaper published in Riga from 1911 to 1940 and was the largest and most influential paper of its era.[1] The newspaper was owned by the Benjamiņi couple, initially begun with Emīlija Benjamiņa as publisher and Antons Benjamiņš as editor-in-chief.[2] The editorial office of the paper also published a weekly magazine entitled Atpūta.[3]
While at first an inexpensive newspaper for the general public, it became a leading daily paper for the democratic center and liberal movements, with the largest circulation and a reputation for reliability.[4] Following Antons Benjamiņš' tenure as editor-in-chief, Jānis Kārkliņš assumed the position in 1921; Ernests Runcis-Arnis in 1928; and Pēteris Blaus in 1937–40.[4]Jaunākās Ziņas′ printing run on workdays was approximately 160,000 copies; on Sundays, 200,000. The paper's popularity was attributable to its mix of timely information on current events and publication of serialized popular novels, such as Tarzan,[4] and debuts of new literature, including the poetry of Rainis.[5]
