The Independent
The first issue of The Independent appeared on the 7th of October 1986. Three former journalists from The Daily Telegraph, Andreas Whittam Smith, Stephen Glover and Matthew Symonds, created the paper. They launched it as a broadsheet during the height of the Wapping dispute. Rupert Murdoch had moved his printing operations to Wapping, leaving traditional unions picketing outside the plant. This chaos allowed new competitors to enter the market with lower production costs. The Independent attracted staff who refused to move to Murdoch's new headquarters. It reached a circulation of more than 400,000 by 1989. Marcus Sieff served as the first chairman of Newspaper Publishing plc. Whittam Smith took control of the operation. The paper used the advertising slogan "It is. Are you?" to challenge established titles like The Times and The Guardian.
Financial struggles plagued the newspaper throughout the 1990s. Tony O'Reilly's media group and Mirror Group Newspapers bought stakes of about one-third each by mid-1994. In March 1995, Newspaper Publishing restructured its shareholding into three parts: O'Reilly's Independent News & Media held 43%, MGN held 43%, and Prisa held 12%. By April 1996, another refinancing occurred. Andrew Marr became editor in 1996 while Simon Kelner took over later that year. Circulation fell below 200,000 during this period. Independent News spent heavily to boost numbers but failed to restore profitability. Job cuts reduced morale among journalists. Ivan Fallon replaced Brendan Hopkins as head of Independent News & Media in July 2002. By mid-2004, the newspaper lost £5 million per year. Production moved to Northcliffe House in Kensington High Street in November 2008. On the 25th of March 2010, Independent News & Media sold the paper to a company owned by Alexander Lebedev for a nominal £1 fee plus £9.25 million over ten months.
The last printed edition of The Independent appeared on Saturday the 26th of March 2016. This marked the end of physical distribution for the title. The Independent on Sunday published its final issue on the 20th of March 2016 before closing entirely. The decision transformed the organization into a pure play digital media company. In 2017, Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the operation. Geordie Greig became Editor-in-Chief in January 2023. He oversaw significant editorial investment following the transition. Zach Leonard moved to the United States as Global COO and President (North America) later that year. Christian Broughton was appointed Chief Executive after his departure from the editor role. Louise Thomas took the position of US Editor in March 2024. The online presence began with an original website launch in 1996. A relaunched site arrived on the 23rd of January 2008 featuring new design elements and video content. From 2009, the website carried short video news bulletins provided by Al Jazeera English. In late 2020, The Independent launched Independent TV across web browsers, apps, and Smart TVs.
Andreas Whittam Smith served as the first editor starting in 1986. Ian Hargreaves took over in 1994 followed by Charles Wilson in 1995. Andrew Marr became editor in 1996 but left in May 1998 to become BBC political editor. Rosie Boycott joined as editor of The Independent on Sunday in 1998 before leaving for the Daily Express. Simon Kelner was appointed editor in 1998. Roger Alton held the post until 2010 when Chris Blackhurst took charge. Amol Rajan became editor in 2013 while Christian Broughton led from 2016 to 2023. Geordie Greig assumed the Editor-in-Chief role in January 2023. The paper shifted its political stance from centrist to liberal-left over time. It originally targeted readers from The Times and The Daily Telegraph. Later it competed more directly with The Guardian. The Independent endorsed Labour Party candidates in the 2024 United Kingdom general election. In 2016, the newspaper supported Remain during the Brexit referendum. An Ipsos MORI poll estimated that 44% of regular readers voted Liberal Democrat in the 2010 UK general election.
The first edition was designed by Michael Crozier who served as Executive Editor, Design and Picture from pre-launch in 1986 to 1994. Nicholas Garland commissioned a new design team including Carroll, Dempsey and Thirkell after rejecting earlier proposals. Alexander Chancellor criticized initial designs saying "I thought we were joining a serious paper." From September 2003, the paper produced both broadsheet and compact versions simultaneously. The tabloid format aimed to distance itself from sensationalist reporting styles common in other UK papers. On the 14th of May 2004, The Independent stopped producing weekday broadsheets. A redesign on the 12th of April 2005 gave the layout a European feel similar to France's Libération. Barcelona-based designers executed this change. The weekday second section merged into the main paper while double-page features became standard. A new section called Extra launched on the 25th of April 2006 containing games like sudoku. Three weeks after Lebedev acquired the paper in 2010, another redesign appeared on the 20th of April featuring smaller headlines and a Viewspaper insert. Following the 2003 switch, front pages relied heavily on images and graphics rather than traditional headlines. One example showed the word Whitewash? following the Hutton Report publication.
In 2019, The Independent entered a long-term partnership with Saudi Research & Media Group. This entity operates licensed editions including Independent Arabia, Independent Turkish, Independent Persian and Independent Urdu language versions. October 2018 saw the launch of Independent Arabia under license from SRMG. September 2020 marked the debut of Independent en Español as a wholly owned Spanish edition. Sultan Mohamed Anwar Asaad Abuljadayel purchased a 30% stake in 2017 though very little is known about him personally. The paper sponsors the Longford Prize which recognizes individuals helping current or former prisoners. In memory of Lord Longford, this award honors contributions to prisoner welfare. The Pride List initially published as The Pink List on the 6th of August 2000 contained 48 prominent LGBT people in the UK. It was resurrected as the Pride List in 2023 and 2024. A September 2006 edition designed by Giorgio Armani featured model Kate Moss in blackface for an article about AIDS in Africa. This design drew significant controversy. The i Paper launched in October 2010 as a compact sister newspaper using shared material before being sold to Johnston Press.
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Common questions
When did The Independent first appear?
The first issue of The Independent appeared on the 7th of October 1986. Three former journalists from The Daily Telegraph created the paper during the height of the Wapping dispute.
Who founded The Independent newspaper?
Andreas Whittam Smith, Stephen Glover and Matthew Symonds created The Independent. They launched it as a broadsheet to challenge established titles like The Times and The Guardian.
What happened to The Independent in March 2016?
The last printed edition of The Independent appeared on Saturday the 26th of March 2016. This marked the end of physical distribution for the title before the organization became a pure play digital media company.
How much did Alexander Lebedev pay for The Independent?
On the 25th of March 2010, Independent News & Media sold the paper to a company owned by Alexander Lebedev for a nominal £1 fee plus £9.25 million over ten months. This acquisition occurred after the newspaper lost £5 million per year by mid-2004.
When was Geordie Greig appointed Editor-in-Chief of The Independent?
Geordie Greig assumed the Editor-in-Chief role in January 2023. He oversaw significant editorial investment following the transition from Christian Broughton who led from 2016 to 2023.