The Sunday Times was founded in London by Henry White, with its first issue published on 23 October 1822. It previously appeared as The New Observer in February 1821 and later the Independent Observer before adopting its current, permanent name in 1822. It is distinct from The Times, with whom it shared no connection until 1966.
The oldest continuously published newspaper in the UK is The London Gazette, first published as The Oxford Gazette in November 1665, making it the UK's official journal of record and the Crown's newspaper. While other papers like Berrow's Worcester Journal (1690) and the Stamford Mercury (1712) are also very old and claim to be the oldest, The London Gazette is recognized as the first official government publication.
The Times, founded in 1785 as the Daily Universal Register, is the oldest national daily newspaper in the UK and holds an important place as the “paper of record” on public life, from politics and world affairs to business and sport.
As befits the oldest Sunday newspaper in the world, the history of the Observer is a volatile and varied one. The paper was founded in 1791 by WS Bourne on the simple premise that "the establishment of a Sunday newspaper would obtain him a rapid fortune"; within three years Bourne found himself £1,600 in debt.
The Guardian is widely considered a centre-left to left-wing publication, known for promoting mainstream left ideologies, social liberalism, and supporting centre-left parties like the Labour and Liberal Democrats in the UK. While it maintains an independent, non-partisan structure under the Scott Trust, its journalistic focus consistently leans towards the left of the political spectrum.
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What is the oldest English newspaper still in circulation?
The News Letter is one of Northern Ireland's main daily newspapers, published Monday to Saturday. It is the oldest English-language general daily newspaper still in publication in the world, having first been printed in 1737. Originally published three times weekly, it became daily in 1855.
A Reuters Institute survey in 2024 ranked The Times as having the ninth highest trust rating out of 15 different outlets polled. The Times Digital Archive is available by subscription. The Wikipedia community considers The Times and The Sunday Times to be generally reliable sources.
It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK (formerly News International), which is owned by News Corp. Times Newspapers also publishes The Times. The two papers, founded separately and independently, have been under the same ownership since 1966.
Gazzetta di Mantova (1664) is also attributed as the oldest daily newspaper still in print; Wiener Zeitung stated in its final daily issue that the title would be taken up by Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung (1705).
What was the first Sunday newspaper published in Britain?
The Observer, Sunday newspaper established in 1791, the first Sunday paper published in Britain. It is one of England's quality newspapers, long noted for its emphasis on foreign coverage.
Which major British newspaper closed down for almost a year in 1978?
Publication of The Sunday Times was disrupted and suspended in 1978–79 amid disputes between management and unionized labour over a range of issues, including the implementation of modern editing and printing methods.
Older people are more likely to use TV and newspapers. Nine in ten of those aged 75+ use TV (including on-demand) and almost half use newspapers (both print and online).
It is published Monday-Saturday, though from 1993 to 2025, The Observer served as its Sunday sister paper. The paper's readership is generally on the mainstream left of British political opinion.
It has been seen as leaning to the left-wing of the political spectrum, making it more a competitor to The Guardian; however, The Independent tends to take a liberal, pro-market stance on economic issues. The Independent on Sunday referred to itself as a "proudly liberal newspaper".
