Agovernment gazette (also known as anofficial gazette,official journal,official newspaper,official monitororofficial bulletin) is aperiodical publication that has been authorised to publish public or legal notices. It is usually established bystatute or official action, and publication of notices within it, whether by the government or a private party, is usually considered sufficient to comply with legal requirements for public notice.[1]Gazettes are published either in print, electronically or both.
InAncient Rome,Acta Diurna, or government announcement bulletins, were produced. They were carved in metal or stone and posted in public places. In China, early government-produced news-sheets, calledDibao, circulated among court officials during the lateHan dynasty (second and third centuries AD). Between 713 and 734, theKaiyuan Za Bao ("Bulletin of the Court") of the ChineseTang dynasty published government news; it was handwritten on silk and read by government officials. In 1582, there was the first reference to privately published newssheets in Beijing, during the lateMing dynasty.[2]
Inearly modern Europe, the increased cross-border interaction created a rising need for information which was met by concise handwritten news-sheets. In 1556, the government ofVenice first published the monthlynotizie scritte, which cost onegazetta, a small coin.[3] Theseavvisi were handwrittennewsletters and used to convey political, military, and economic news quickly and efficiently to Italian cities (1500–1700)—sharing some characteristics ofnewspapers though usually not considered true newspapers.[4] However, none of these publications fully met the classical criteria for proper newspapers, as they were typically not intended for the general public and restricted to a certain range of topics.
In some jurisdictions, privately owned newspapers may also register with the public authorities in order to publish public and legal notices.[5][6][7] Likewise, a private newspaper may be designated by thecourts for publication of legal notices. These are referred to as "legally adjudicated newspapers".[8]
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