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Estia

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Estia
TypeDaily eveningnewspaper
Formatbroadsheet
Owner(s)“Estia Newspaper S.A.” (Ioannis Filippakis)
Founded1876/1894
Political alignmentconservative
CityAthens
CountryGreece
Websitewww.estianews.gr

Estia(Greek:Ἑστία,lit.'hearth') is a Greek national daily broadsheetnewspaperpublished inAthens,Greece.It was founded in 1876 as a literary magazine and then in 1894 has been transformed into a newspaper, making it Greece's oldest daily newspaper still in circulation. It is named after the ancient Greek goddessHestia,one of theTwelve Olympians.Estiais widely regarded as right wing in terms of political alignment and most often referred to as “conservative” and “nationalist” and is readily distinguishable as the only Greek newspaper still employing the old-fashionedpolytonic systemof accentuation. An “opinion newspaper” with a writing style acknowledged to be “incisive” and with a loyal readership also described as “exclusive”,Estiais often treated not merely as a newspaper but as “an institution ofbourgeoisAthens”. On the 120th anniversary of its publication (March 12, 2014), the President of GreeceKarolos Papouliasissued a congratulatory note[1]crediting the contribution ofEstiato public life. Run as a family business for more than a century (1898–2015) and successively managed by the descendants of Adonis Kyrou, Estias Director since 2017 is Manolis Kottakis. Estia newspaper is owned, through “Estia Newspaper S.A.”, by Ioannis Filippakis.[2]

Language

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In the 1980s and 1990s,Estiawas the only daily written inkatharevousa,a purist and archaic form ofmodern Greekthat was abolished as the official administrative language in 1976. In recent years, however,Estiahas adopted a conservative form of Standard Modern Greek.Estiais also the only daily employing the polytonic system of accentuation, which was officially abandoned following legislation in 1982;Estia,nevertheless, uses a simplified polytonic orthography in which thegrave accentis replaced by theacute.

Format and layout

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The paper's very first edition was misprinted, with Page 1 being on the back and Page 2 on the front. Adonis Kyrou decided to keep printing the paper the same way, and the tradition continued to 1997, when it was abandoned because of technical difficulties arising from the change from linotype machines to computer-editing.

Estiadid not switch to a modern computer system until 1997. At that timeUnicode-enabled software had become more widely available and it was possible to continue printing the newspaper in the polytonic system. Until then, the newspaper continued to be set and printed usingLinotype machines.Estiais one of the few Greek newspapers printed inbroadsheetformat. It normally contains only about eight pages a day. There are no pictures on the "front" page, and no colour photographs at all.

The paper's most popular column has always been thefeuilleton"Pennies, Eidisoules, Perierga"(Strokes, small news, curiosities), noted for its dry, acerbic wit.

History

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In 1876, Pavlos Diomidis founded a weekly publication namedἙστία,which was a literary magazine similar to the present-dayNea Estia(Νέα Ἑστία) rather than a news-focused paper. Not until 1894 did the well-known poet and journalistGeorgios Drosinistransform it into a daily newspaper about politics, culture and finance. In 1941, during the occupation of Greece by the German army,Estiaclosed, but soon after the liberation it resumed its publication.Estiahas been managed by the Kyrou family for more than 120 years. Adonis Kyrou was its publisher from 1898 to 1918, Achilleus A. Kyrou and Kyros A. Kyrou from 1918 to 1950, Kyros A. Kyrou from 1950 to 1974, and Adonis K. Kyrou from 1974 until 1997, when the paper was taken over by Kyrou's nephew Alexis Zaousis.

References

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  1. ^"Συγχαρητήριο μήνυμα K.Παπούλια για τα 120 χρόνια της εφημερίδας" Εστία "".In.gr.Retrieved2017-05-17.
  2. ^"Νέα εποχή για τηνΕστία".The Huffington Post.Retrieved2017-05-17.
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