Expressen (The Express) is one of two nationwide evening newspapers in Sweden. Describing itself as independent liberal, Expressen was founded in 1944;[1] its symbol is a wasp and its slogans are "it stings" or "Expressen to your rescue".[citation needed]
The newspaper awards the culture prize Expressens Heffaklump for children's and youth culture.
The first edition of Expressen was published on 16 November 1944.[2][3] A main feature that day was an interview with the crew members of a British bomber who were successful in sinking the German ship Tirpitz. A project of Albert Bonnier Jr., Carl-Adam Nycop, and Ivar Harrie – who was to become the first editor-in-chief – Expressen was created in part to push back against "national socialism and related violent ideologies."[4]
The paper is owned by the Bonnier Group.[5][6] As of 2005, the paper had a liberal stance,[7] but it declared its independent leaning in 1995.[2]
Through mergers, the Gothenburg edition of Expressen is titled GT (originally Göteborgs-Tidningen) and the Malmö edition is titled Kvällsposten, but the three share half of the content. Expressen (with GT and Kvällsposten) maintains a centre-right political profile, describing its editorial position as "independent liberal", while the competitor Aftonbladet is independent social-democratic. Ownership of Expressen (and Sweden's largest morning newspaper, Dagens Nyheter) is controlled by the Bonnier family, while Aftonbladet is owned jointly by Swedish trade unions and the Norwegian publishing family Schibsted.
In 1998, the circulation of Expressen was 316,000 copies on weekdays and 396,000 copies on Sundays.[2] The paper had a circulation of 334,000 copies in 2001.[9] The 2004 circulation of the paper was 335,000 copies.[6] It was 339,400 copies on weekdays in 2005.[7] In 2010, the circulation of the paper had declined to 270,900 copies.[10]
Kvällsposten, founded in 1948, is – since 1998 – an edition of Expressen distributed in the south of Sweden, including Skåne and Blekinge counties. Its editorial offices are in Malmö and the editor in chief is Magnus Ringman.
^Lennart Weibull (2013). "What has Happened with the Political Press? Perspectives on the Erosion in Swedish Newspaper Readership". In Henrik Oscarsson; Stefan Dahlberg; Lena Wängnerud (eds.). Stepping Stones(PDF). Gothenburg: University of Gothenburg. Archived from the original(PDF) on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
