In Netherland, a newspaper called "Newsitung" was being published until the 16th century. The first English newspaper, the Weekly News, was published in 1622. It may be recalled that Holland was not the birthplace of newspaper, however, in the early seventeenth century , its capital city Amsterdam became the world's first real centre for newspapers. The two important periodicals reported "tidings" from elsewhere in Europe. The newspapers in the seventeenth century were controlled through a licensing system.

By 1702 it was theoretically not possible to publish a new paper without permission of the local government, but in fact the liberalism of the merchants who ruled the cities , the absence of a strong central government and the competition between the main cities nourished a healthy climate for publishers. Thus the Netherlands can rightfully claim to be one of the first countries with a free and independent press. By 1798, however , things had changed and censorship imposed.