In Austria, the first printing press was set up in Vienna in 1480, and by the end of the century, newssheets recounting important or unusual events began to appear. The date of the first newspaper is a matter of dispute; there are claims for one as early as 1605. However, it is certain that one weekly was in operation by 1620 and that three more were published by 1660.

The most notable of the early publications of Austria was the twice-weekly called Der Postalische Mercurius. It was established in 1703 and was turned into a daily in 1714. Within ten year after that, it became the official newspaper of the government of Austria. Its name was changed to the Wiener Zeitung, still appears in Vienna today under government auspices - the oldest operating newspaper in the world.

Newspapers could not prosper in that country mainly due to autocratic regimes. News were being censored and only few newssheets were being circulated as against the official newspaper. However , a number of weekly newspapers began their publications in the eighteenth century, of course, dealing with non political subjects. With the abolition of the censorship in 1781, the Austrian press became free, but only for the next nine year when censorship was clamped again.