Belgium's major national dailies

The Belgian national press brings together French-language dailies such as Le Soir, La Libre Belgique and L'Echo, and Dutch-language ones such as De Standaard, De Morgen, Het Laatste Nieuws and De Tijd, published by four large groups and readable online, often by subscription.

A national press split into two language markets

In Belgium, a national newspaper is really national for its own community: Le Soir is read in Brussels and Wallonia, De Standaard in Flanders and among Dutch speakers in Brussels. Understanding federal news therefore means reading at least one title from each side.

Rossel, IPM, Mediahuis and DPG Media

Four publishers control most dailies. Rossel publishes Le Soir and the Sudinfo editions, IPM La Libre and the DH, Mediahuis De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad, DPG Media Het Laatste Nieuws and De Morgen. Mediafin, owned by Rossel and Mediahuis, publishes L'Echo and De Tijd.

What editorial line does each daily follow?

Le Soir claims a central reference position attentive to social issues, La Libre Belgique a Christian Democrat heritage. On the Flemish side, De Standaard is often described as centre-right, De Morgen as progressive, while Het Laatste Nieuws, founded in 1888, targets a broad popular readership.

Reading L'Echo and De Tijd for the federal economy

L'Echo, heir to L'Écho de la Bourse founded in 1881, and De Tijd share a bilingual business newsroom. The federal budget, wage negotiations and Bel20 companies are closely followed there; the page on the Belgian business press covers other titles.

News weeklies: Le Vif, Knack and Humo

The Roularta group publishes Le Vif in French and Knack in Dutch, two weekly magazines of political analysis and investigation. Humo, at DPG Media, mixes news, culture and interviews, while Paris Match Belgique covers the monarchy and Belgian public life.

Rue de la Loi: how the press covers federal politics

Government formations, sometimes lasting several hundred days as in 2010-2011, dominate the national front pages. Political journalists follow the Seize, the Prime Minister's office on Rue de la Loi, the Chamber and the negotiations between Flemish and French-speaking parties.

Belga, the shared source of the newsrooms

The Belga agency, based in Brussels and owned by press publishers, distributes its wire copy in French and Dutch. The same news item, whether election results or a Council of Ministers decision, thus appears at the same moment in the papers of both communities.

RTBF, VRT, RTL-TVI and VTM on screen

Public television, RTBF in the south and VRT in the north, competes with commercial channels RTL-TVI and VTM for the evening news. Their news sites, RTBF Actus and VRT NWS, are free and rank among the most visited in the country.

Getting the news in English in Brussels

Expatriates and EU officials read The Brussels Times, an English-language site devoted to Belgian news, as well as Politico Europe, based in Brussels, for the European institutions. These titles often pick up national press stories and make them accessible to non-French speakers.

Ethics, the AJP and source protection

The Association des journalistes professionnels on the French-speaking side and the VVJ on the Flemish side defend the profession. Since 2005, a federal law has protected journalists' sources, and the press councils publish their opinions on complaints against the national dailies.

Digital editions, apps and the evening paper

The dailies publish a digital edition available from the evening before on their apps, as well as a continuous feed on their websites. Le Soir+, La Libre Premium or the Mediahuis plans give access to the full edition and to archives reserved for subscribers.

Beyond the national frame: provinces and communities

National titles say little about local life; for that, it is better to read the regional press of the Belgian provinces. Bilingual readers can compare the same story in the Flemish press from Ghent to Antwerp and in the French-language papers.

Following Belgian politics from abroad

1. Choose a French-language reference daily, Le Soir or La Libre Belgique, and read its politics pages and editorials every morning.
2. Add a Flemish title such as De Standaard or De Morgen, even with a translation tool, to understand what Flanders expects.
3. Use RTBF Actus and VRT NWS for free news bulletins and live coverage during elections or government crises.
4. Turn on alerts from Belga or your daily's app to follow decisions of the Council of Ministers and the federal Parliament.
5. For the economy, add L'Echo or De Tijd, which explain budgets, taxation and social agreements.
6. Always compare a political statement in a French-language and a Dutch-language title before drawing a conclusion.

Reading the Belgian national press: costs and access

Useful facts about the national dailies

• Languages: French and Dutch, plus German in the East Cantons
• News agency: Belga, in Brussels
• Public broadcasters: RTBF, VRT and BRF
• Reference dailies: Le Soir and De Standaard
• Business press: L'Echo and De Tijd
• Sport: DH Les Sports+ and Sporza
• Time zone: Central European Time (UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer); currency: euro

Reading traps in the Belgian national press

• Believing that a Flemish daily and a French-language daily describe the same political reality: parties, issues and electorates differ by community.
• Confusing La Libre Belgique, a Brussels daily, with La Dernière Heure, owned by the same IPM group but focused on crime and sport.
• Taking as genuine a parody spread on social media that imitates the layout of Le Soir or Het Laatste Nieuws.
• Using paywall-bypass sites that copy paid articles, sometimes with errors or altered headlines.
• Sharing an old article about a government crisis without checking its date, when Belgian coalitions change often.

Questions about the national press in Belgium