by The Ancient Precursor to the Business and Financial News Service
This nomination for the editors and scribes who produced the Acta Diurna (“Daily Events”), instituted by Julius Caesar in 59 BCE. This was the world’s first regularly published news sheet, posted in the Forum and copied for distribution. While containing political and social news, its economic function was profound. It disseminated vital commercial intelligence: announcements of government contracts, reports on the arrival and departure of grain fleets at Ostia, court judgments affecting property, and likely price currents for key commodities. It served as a mass communication channel for public notices of auctions, debts, and partnerships. By centralizing and standardizing the flow of public information, the Acta Diurna reduced information asymmetry in the Roman marketplace, allowing merchants and investors in Rome and the provinces to make more informed decisions. It was a foundational innovation in the information economy, recognizing that timely, reliable news is a commodity that increases market efficiency. It proved that the health of a complex commercial society depends not just on the movement of goods and money, but on the rapid movement of information, and that systematizing this flow is a legitimate and powerful function of the state. The Acta Diurna was the direct ancestor of the financial gazette and business newspaper.
