The Independent

The Independent
border
Homepage of The Independent in July 2021
TypePrint newspaper (1986–2016)
Online only newspaper (2016–present)
Format
Owner(s)Evgeny Lebedev (41%)[1][2]
Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel (30%)[1][2]
Justin Byam Shaw (26%)[2]
Minor shareholders (3%)[2]
PublisherIndependent Digital News & Media Ltd
EditorGeordie Greig
Founded7 October 1986 (1986-10-07)
Political alignmentLiberalism[3]
Ceased publication26 March 2016 (print)
HeadquartersAlphabeta Building, 14–18 Finsbury Square, EC2A 1AH, London
Sister newspapersThe Independent on Sunday (1990–2016)
i (2010–2013)
Online only indy100 (2013–present)
ISSN1741-9743
OCLC number185201487
Websiteindependent.co.uk Edit this at Wikidata

The Independent is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the Indy, it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003.[4] The last printed edition was published on Saturday 26 March 2016, leaving only the online edition.[5]

The newspaper was controlled by Tony O'Reilly's Irish Independent News & Media from 1997 until it was sold to the Russian oligarch and former KGB Officer Alexander Lebedev in 2010. Lebedev also co-owned Novaya Gazeta alongside Mikhail Gorbachev until the latter's death on 30 August 2022.[6] In 2017, Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in The Independent.[7]

The daily edition was named National Newspaper of the Year at the 2004 British Press Awards. The website and mobile app had a combined monthly reach of 19,826,000 in 2021.[8] The Independent won the Brand of the Year Award in The Drum Awards for Online Media 2023.[9]

  1. ^ a b Ruddick, Graham (4 August 2017). "Saudi ties raise doubts about Independent's editorial freedom". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d Rajan, Amol (29 July 2017). "Is the Independent still independent?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Our Story". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  4. ^ "'The Independent' launches tabloid version to give readers a choice". The Independent. London. 27 September 2003. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Independent to cease as print edition". BBC News. 12 February 2016. Archived from the original on 30 November 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  6. ^ "Independent titles sold to Lebedev family company". The Independent. London. 25 March 2010. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
  7. ^ "Sale of stake in Independent to Saudi investor, Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel, has 'no influence' on editorial coverage, watchdog rules". The Independent. 16 September 2019. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022.
  8. ^ "Newsworks". Archived from the original on 15 August 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  9. ^ "The Drum Awards for Online Media 2023 - Results". www.onlinemediaawards.net. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.