Meet Elizabeth Mallet: Britain’s First Female Newspaper Publisher (1702)
Long before women were widely accepted in journalism, Elizabeth Mallet made history by launching Britain’s first daily newspaper—the Daily Courant—on March 11, 1702.
Published near Fleet Bridge in London, the Daily Courant featured foreign news translated into English, and Mallet made it clear that she would not include opinions—just facts. Her goal was to inform readers, not influence them—a bold stance at a time when news was often tangled with political bias.
Elizabeth’s achievement was remarkable not just for being a publishing milestone, but for being led by a woman in a male-dominated era. She broke barriers at a time when women had virtually no rights in business, media, or politics.
Although she eventually sold the paper, Mallet’s legacy lives on as a pioneer in British media and women’s history.
