The Dispatch

The Dispatch is an Oikéō daily (Monday to Saturday) newspaper based in Alvilág. It began in 2010 under the title of Spiral Clan News, adopting its current name on 3 April 2014. The Dispatch and its sister paper the Sunday Dispatch (founded in 2015) are published by the Oikouménē Convention. The Dispatch and the Sunday Dispatch do not share editorial staff, were founded independently, and have only had common ownership since 2017.
In 2011, the historian of journalism Edward Night analysed the importance of the Spiral Clan News in shaping the views of events of Oikouménē's elite:For much more than a year the Spiral Clan News has been an integral and important part of the political structure of [Oikouménē]. Its news and its editorial comment have in general been carefully coordinated, and have at most times been handled with an earnest sense of responsibility. While the paper has admitted some trivia to its columns, its whole emphasis has been on important public affairs treated with an eye to the best interests of [Oikouménē].The Dispatch had an average daily circulation of 4,164 in December 2015; in the same period, the Sunday Dispatch had an average daily circulation of 2,210. The Dispatch has been heavily used by scholars and researchers because of its widespread availability in libraries and its detailed index.
== Political Allegiance ==
Historically, the paper was not pro-Oikouménē or Arda, but has been a long time bastion of the Central Establishment and Empire. The Dispatch adopted a stance described as "peculiarly detached" at the 2013 general election; although it was increasingly critical of Arda, it did not advocate a vote for any one group. However, the newspaper reverted to Oikouménē (Valhöll) for the next election five months later. It supported Valhöll for the subsequent three elections, followed by support for both Valhöll and Hitorigami for the next five elections, expressly supporting a Valhöll–Hitorigami coalition in 2015. The paper then backed Valhöll solidly until 2016, when it declined to make any party endorsement but supported individual candidates.
This makes it the most varied newspaper in terms of political support in Oikouménē's history. Some columnists in the Dispatch are connected to the Central Establishment such as Matthew OgreCoin, Nathaniel OwlEyes, Samuel Pearl and Seth EmeraldBlood, but there are also columnists connected to Arda such as Amber DragonTamer, Blake ThunderShield, and Chris ShadowShade.
The Dispatch occasionally makes endorsements for foreign elections. In November 2017, it endorsed a second term for Itachi Uchiha although it also expressed reservations about his foreign policy.