Thüringische Landeszeitung

Thüringische Landeszeitung (TLZ) is part of Funke Medien Thüringen. Together with Ostthüringer Zeitung and Thüringer Allgemeine, it forms an editorial community. The three newspapers share substantially identical content and are published in the same format with only minimal layout variations. In 1990, they were consolidated into Zeitungsgruppe Thüringen (ZGT), which operated as Mediengruppe Thüringen GmbH until 2015, before being renamed Funke Medien Thüringen in 2020. This consolidation established them as one of Germany's highest-circulation regional newspaper groups.

The three newspapers emerged in 1990 from former East German publications: Thüringische Landeszeitung (continuing from its 1945 founding), Das Volk (renamed Thüringer Allgemeine), and Volkswacht (renamed Ostthüringer Zeitung). The Thüringische Landeszeitung was previously a newspaper of the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDPD) – a so-called bloc party within the GDR regime. It was subject to censorship by the GDR regime and, like the LPDP, supported the SED's claim to leadership.

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, these newspapers, previously under SED control, declared editorial independence and underwent title changes to reflect their new status. Thüringer Allgemeine (formerly Das Volk) was the first to transition, withdrawing SED support ahead of the 1990 elections and becoming the first independent daily newspaper in the former GDR. It was officially relaunched as Thüringer Allgemeine on January 16, 1990. To formalize commercial independence, newspaper employees established an employee participation company. However, facing outdated technology and intensifying competition from West German publications, the three newspapers consolidated their operations under WAZ Verlag (later Funke Mediengruppe).

The merger progressively aligned the newspapers' content. Following a staff strike at the printing facility in 2021, all three newspapers began appearing in identical format with shared text and all three mastheads displayed together. This convergence rendered explicit what had become increasingly apparent: these operate as unified publications with only marginal differences in layout and local sections.