Denmark’s last communist party newspaper, Arbejderen, is one of a small number of remaining communist party newspapers in the EU, continuing primarily as a digital daily after ending its daily print edition on 1 May 2019, while also publishing a printed magazine four to six times a year.
You won’t find Arbejderen at a Copenhagen kiosk anymore. The paper ended its daily print edition on 1 May 2019 and continues primarily online, supplemented by a printed magazine published four to six times a year. That makes it a rare survivor in a landscape where party newspapers have largely vanished across Europe.
Among the better-known remaining communist party newspapers in the EU are Greece’s Rizospastis and Portugal’s Avante!, alongside Arbejderen. By comparison, Norway’s Arbeideren closed in 1929. Denmark’s partisan media has contracted faster than many southern European counterparts.
A Small Office, Big Ideology
Arbejderen operates from offices at Frederiksborgvej 11 in København NV. Staff answer phones weekdays from 11:00 to 15:00. The editorial team uses dedicated inboxes for domestic news, foreign affairs, culture, debate, and events. It is not a 24/7 newsroom.
According to Arbejderen’s own site and Danish Wikipedia, the paper is published by Kommunistisk Parti and is Denmark’s only party-owned daily newspaper. The paper solicits reader support via bank transfers and MobilePay. That direct party ownership provides structural continuity that most commercial micro-media cannot replicate.
For internationals in Denmark, Arbejderen sits outside the mainstream media ecosystem. Most content appears in Danish with no dedicated English service, so translation tools are necessary. The paper covers precarious workers, migrant solidarity campaigns, and anti-war groups. Supporters argue that many of these stories rarely appear in DR or TV2.
From Print to Pixels
The shift online cut print and distribution costs and has coincided with higher digital readership figures, according to Arbejderen. Visibility has shifted from kiosks and workplaces to online networks and social sharing. A printed magazine continues to appear four to six times a year for readers who prefer physical copies.
Denmark’s Constitutional Protection
Denmark’s constitutional guarantee of press freedom in Section 77 means even a small communist outlet can publish highly critical content without prior censorship. It operates under the same protections as major broadcasters. But its agenda-setting power is negligible compared to national giants like DR.
Arbejderen frames itself as a platform for the working class and a source of information for socialists, a mission statement that appears clearly on the site. Supporters argue the paper fills a gap in mainstream coverage. Critics argue that partisan outlets blur journalism and propaganda. The paper is explicitly ideological and does not pretend otherwise.
What Internationals Can Do
Accessing Arbejderen is straightforward. Most content appears free online without subscription. Internationals can bookmark the site and identify relevant sections. Foreign affairs coverage appears under the udland email channel. Gaza solidarity narratives and critiques of Western foreign policy are included in the coverage.
Those interested in contributing can write directly to thematic inboxes. Debate pieces go to debat@arbejderen.dk. Event listings go to kalender@arbejderen.dk. Contributors are invited to contact the editorial team via these email addresses during office hours.
Cross-reading remains essential. Arbejderen offers one perspective among many. Official statistics come from Statistics Denmark. Migration rules come from the New to Denmark portal. The communist lens is valuable for understanding activist networks and left critiques. It is not a replacement for balanced sourcing.
The Expat Blind Spot
According to Statistics Denmark (FOLK1A), immigrants and descendants of immigrants made up 14.8% of the population in 2023, up from 10.4% in 2010. That growing international community rarely engages with Arbejderen. No public data tracks Arbejderen’s readership by citizenship or origin, so the size of its international audience is unknown.
Media analysts and supporters argue that small ideological outlets can persist despite market pressures, and that direct party ties provide stability that commercial micro-media lack. The trade-off, critics note, is insularity. For internationals interested in Danish communism, labour activism, or anti-imperialist critique, Arbejderen can be a useful window. Many other residents are unlikely ever to encounter it.
