View source for The Stoneman

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{{Infobox newspaper
| name                 = The Stoneman
| logo                 = File:The Stoneman logo.svg
| logo_upright         = 
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| logo_size            = 200px
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| type                 = {{w|Newspaper#Daily|Daily}} {{w|bulletin board}}
| format               = 1145 x 675 mm
| owner                = Orators of Alba
| founder              = 
| publisher            = Orators of Alba
| president            = 
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| launched             = {{start date and age|1438|08}}
| language             = {{w|Latin language|Latin}} (until 1891)<br>{{w|English language|English}}
| headquarters         = [[Alba (neighborhood)|Alba]], Oriens
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| circulation          = 5,096 boards
| circulation_date     = 2022
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| readership           = 4.1 million (daily estimate)
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| website              = stoneman.le
| free                 = 
}}
'''''The Stoneman {{w|Acta Diurna|A.D.}}''''' ({{W|Latin language|Latin}}: ''Homo Lapis''), often shortened to just '''''Stoneman''''' or '''''The Stone''''', and historically known as '''''Man of Stone''''', is a {{w|Free newspaper|freesheet}} {{w|Newspaper#Daily|daily}} {{w|bulletin board}} {{w|newspaper}}. Founded in 1438, it is the oldest and only remaining bulletin board newspaper in [[Liberta]]. Based out of [[Alba (neighborhood)|Alba]], Oriens, it supplies over 5,000 boards with a news sheet every early morning. ''The Stoneman'' dates back to the ancient notice boards of the city when both the [[Government of Liberta|Government]] and local events were documented for the public. Being free of charge, its publisher, Orators of Alba, relies on public donations and {{w|Financial endowment|endowments}} from private patrons.

It is considered a {{w|newspaper of record}} due to its venerable history, significant scrutiny through widespread readership, and adherence to {{w|Journalism ethics and standards|journalistic professionalism}}. Due to its limited size, articles are short and focus only on international and some domestic news, often omitting {{w|Stylistics|stylistic language}} in favor of short, formal sentences. ''The Stoneman'' seldom reports on {{w|Arts journalism|culture}}, {{w|Sports journalism|sports}}, or {{w|Business jorunalism|financial news}}, due to its focus on general interest articles. The profile of the statue ''{{W|The Thinker}}'' has been the logo of the newspaper since 1904.

==History==
''The Stoneman'' was founded as ''Homo Lapis'' in 1438 by ''Appius the Scribe'', a prolific author and journalist. Appius was initially employed by the government, {{W|Scribe|keeping records}} of public inquiries before growing increasingly disillusioned with the bureaucracy of the state. He assembled a group of scribes and orators, establishing the journalist cooperative Orators of Alba the year prior to the founding of the news-sheet. Known for his stubborn tendencies and inquisitiveness, he earned the nickname Man of Stone whilst working as a journalist in Alba. He reportedly took a liking to his nickname, naming the cooperative's newspaper after it, ''Homo Lapis'' ({{Literal translation|Man of Stone|Stone Man}}). The freesheet daily bulletin board-newspaper was not a concept pioneered by ''Homo Lapis'', it had existed since the 8th century, but ''Homo Lapis'' is believed to have been the first such newspaper with national coverage. The Orators of Alba, functioning as a cooperative rather than a business, was extremely effective at covering local news from across the island. Several major {{W|Scoop (news)|scoops}} in the span of only a few years provided the comparatively new newspaper with a favorable reputation.

Through incessant efforts to establish contact with locals turned {{W|Informant|informants}} in the Protectorates, ''Homo Lapis'' was able to quickly and reliably receive information about international events. Contacts in the Mediterranean protectorates were especially crucial to achieving this. Reports of the time from the [[Government of Liberta|National Government]] evidenced that ''Homo Lapis'' was able to reliably receive news from the Protectorates faster than the government itself. Beginning in the 16th century, looking to secure its place as the industry leader among rivaling newspapers, ''Homo Lapis'' began recruiting Libertan nurses, many of whom had access to information about important events in the politics and royal courts of Europe. Nurses were able to reliably provide important stories to the newspaper, though their accuracy was often scrutinized by the board of editors before publishing. By the end of the 16th century ''Homo Lapis'' was firmly established as the dominant freesheet newspaper in Liberta. Though refusing to yield any article space to advertisers, the newspaper permitted advertising below the boards in exchange for a fee. ''Homo Lapis'' had until this point been entirely reliant on public donations, and the new stream of revenue allowed the Orators of Alba to increase the scope of the newspaper.

By the 18th century ''Homo Lapis'' was, according to both interviews and surveys of the time, the most common medium of information for a majority of Libertans. The accessibility of the notice board format and free-of-charge freesheet made the newspaper significantly more popular than conventional newspapers, even after the introduction of modern newspaper formats. This trend continued into the 19th century. Around this time the Orators of Alba would begin reducing the concentration of boards in Liberta, increasing the total amount but decreasing the boards per neighborhood as new parts of Liberta proper were constructed.

==Organization==
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[[Category:Liberta]]