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This article is about the British newspaper based in London. For other uses, see The Times (disambiguation).

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The Times is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register, adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times (founded in 1821), are published by Times Media, since 1981 a subsidiary of News UK, in turn wholly owned by News Corp. The Times and The Sunday Times were founded independently and have had common ownership only since 1966.[2] It is considered a newspaper of record in the UK.[3]

The Times was the first newspaper to bear that name, inspiring numerous other papers around the world. In countries where these other titles are popular, the newspaper is often referred to as The London Times[4] or The Times of London,[5] although the newspaper is of national scope and distribution.

The Times had an average daily circulation of 365,880 in March 2020; in the same period, The Sunday Times had an average weekly circulation of 647,622.[1] The two newspapers also had 600,000 digital-only paid subscribers as of September 2024.[6] An American edition of The Times has been published since 6 June 2006.[7] A complete historical file of the digitised paper, up to 2019, is available online from Gale Cengage Learning.[8][9] The political position of The Times is considered to be centre-right.[10] The Times and The Sunday Times launched their own radio station, Times Radio, in 2020. Its shows cover news and politics, both nationally and internationally, and had an average weekly reach of 604,000 listeners at the end of 2024.[11][12]

History

[edit]

1785 to 1890

[edit]
Front page of The Times from 4 December 1788

The Times was founded by publisher John Walter (1738–1812) on 1 January 1785 as The Daily Universal Register,[13] with Walter in the role of editor.[14] Walter had lost his job by the end of 1784 after the insurance company for which he worked went bankrupt due to losses from a Jamaican hurricane. Unemployed, Walter began a new business venture.[15][16] At that time, Henry Johnson invented the logography, a new typography that was reputedly faster and more precise (although three years later, it was proved less efficient than advertised). Walter bought the logography's patent and, with it, opened a printing house to produce books.[16] The first publication of The Daily Universal Register was on 1 January 1785. Walter changed the title after 940 editions on 1 January 1788 to The Times.[13][16] In 1803, Walter handed ownership and editorship to his son of the same name.[16] Walter Sr's pioneering efforts to obtain Continental news, especially from France, helped build the paper's reputation among policy makers and financiers,[17] in spite of a sixteen-month incarceration in Newgate Prison for libels printed in The Times.[16]

The Times used contributions from significant figures in the fields of politics, science, literature, and the arts to build its reputation. For much of its early life, the profits of The Times were very large and the competition minimal, so it could pay far better than its rivals for information or writers. Beginning in 1814, the paper was printed on the new steam-driven cylinder press developed by Friedrich Koenig (1774–1833).[18][19] In 1815, The Times had a circulation of 5,000.[20] It had grown to 9,800 by 1837 and was 51,200 in 1854.[21]

Thomas Barnes was appointed general editor in 1817. In the same year, the paper's printer, James Lawson, died and passed the business onto his son, John Joseph Lawson (1802–1852). Under the editorship of Barnes and his successor in 1841, John Thadeus Delane, the influence of The Times rose to great heights, especially in politics and amongst the City of London. Peter Fraser and Edward Sterling were two noted journalists, and gained for The Times the pompous/satirical nickname 'The Thunderer' (from "We thundered out the other day an article on social and political reform."). The increased circulation and influence of the paper were based in part to its early adoption of the steam-driven rotary printing press. Distribution via steam trains to rapidly growing concentrations of urban populations helped ensure the profitability of the paper and its growing influence.[22]

A wounded British officer reading The Times's report of the end of the Crimean War, in John Everett Millais' painting Peace Concluded

The Times was one of the first newspapers to send war correspondents to cover particular conflicts. William Howard Russell, the paper's correspondent with the army in the Crimean War, was immensely influential with his dispatches back to England.[23][24]

1890 to 1981

[edit]

The Times faced financial failure in 1890 under Arthur Fraser Walter, but it was rescued by an energetic editor, Charles Frederic Moberly Bell. During his tenure (1890–1911), The Times became associated with selling the Encyclopædia Britannica using aggressive American marketing methods introduced by Horace Everett Hooper and his advertising executive, Henry Haxton. Due to legal fights between the Britannica's two owners, Hooper and Walter Montgomery Jackson, The Times severed its connection in 1908 and was bought by pioneering newspaper magnate, Alfred Harmsworth, later Lord Northcliffe.[25]

In editorials published on 29 and 31 July 1914, Wickham Steed, the Times's Chief Editor, argued that the British Empire should enter World War I.[26] On 8 May 1920, also under the editorship of Steed, The Times, in an editorial, endorsed the anti-Semitic fabrication The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion as a genuine document, and called Jews the world's greatest danger. In the leader entitled "The Jewish Peril, a Disturbing Pamphlet: Call for Inquiry", Steed wrote about The Protocols of the Elders of Zion:

What are these 'Protocols'? Are they authentic? If so, what malevolent assembly concocted these plans and gloated over their exposition? Are they forgery? If so, whence comes the uncanny note of prophecy, prophecy in part fulfilled, in part so far gone in the way of fulfillment?".[27]

The following year, when Philip Graves, the Constantinople (modern Istanbul) correspondent of The Times, exposed The Protocols as a forgery,[28] The Times retracted the editorial of the previous year.

In 1922, John Jacob Astor, son of the 1st Viscount Astor, bought The Times from the Northcliffe estate. The paper gained a measure of notoriety in the 1930s with its advocacy of German appeasement; editor Geoffrey Dawson was closely allied with government supporters of appeasement, most notably Neville Chamberlain. Candid news reports by Norman Ebbut from Berlin that warned of Nazi warmongering were rewritten in London to support the appeasement policy.[29][30]

Kim Philby, a double agent with primary allegiance to the Soviet Union, was a correspondent for the newspaper in Spain during the Spanish Civil War of the late 1930s. Philby was admired for his courage in obtaining high-quality reporting from the front lines of the bloody conflict. He later joined British Military Intelligence (MI6) during World War II, was promoted into senior positions after the war ended, and defected to the Soviet Union when discovery was inevitable in 1963.[31]

Frontpage weekly magazine The Times, 15 May 1940, with headline: "The old prime minister and the new".

Between 1941 and 1946, the left-wing British historian E. H. Carr was assistant editor. Carr was well known for the strongly pro-Soviet tone of his editorials.[32] In December 1944, when fighting broke out in Athens between the Greek Communist ELAS and the British Army, Carr in a Times leader sided with the Communists, leading Winston Churchill to condemn him and the article in a speech to the House of Commons.[33] As a result of Carr's editorial, The Times became popularly known during that stage of World War II as "the threepenny Daily Worker" (the price of the Communist Party's Daily Worker being one penny).[34]

Roy Thomson

On 3 May 1966, it resumed printing news on the front page; previously, the front page had been given over to small advertisements, usually of interest to the moneyed classes in British society. Also in 1966, the Royal Arms, which had been a feature of the newspaper's masthead since its inception, was abandoned.[35][36] In the same year, members of the Astor family sold the paper to Canadian publishing magnate Roy Thomson.[37] His Thomson Corporation brought it under the same ownership as The Sunday Times to form Times Newspapers Limited.[38]

An industrial dispute prompted the management to shut down the paper for nearly a year, from 1 December 1978 to 12 November 1979.[39]

The Thomson Corporation management was struggling to run the business due to the 1979 energy crisis and union demands. Management sought a buyer who was in a position to guarantee the survival of both titles, had the resources, and was committed to funding the introduction of modern printing methods.[citation needed]

Several suitors appeared, including Robert Maxwell, Tiny Rowland and Lord Rothermere; however, only one buyer was in a position to meet the full Thomson remit, Australian media magnate Rupert Murdoch.[40] Robert Holmes à Court, another Australian magnate, had previously tried to buy The Times in 1980.[41]

From 1981

[edit]

In 1981, The Times and The Sunday Times were bought from Thomson by Rupert Murdoch's News International.[42] The acquisition followed three weeks of intensive bargaining with the unions by company negotiators John Collier and Bill O'Neill. Murdoch gave legal undertakings to maintain separate journalism resources for the two titles.[43] The Royal Arms were reintroduced to the masthead at about this time, but whereas previously it had been that of the reigning monarch, it would now be that of the House of Hanover, who were on the throne when the newspaper was founded.[36]

After 14 years as editor, William Rees-Mogg resigned upon completion of the change of ownership.[42] Murdoch began to make his mark on the paper by appointing Harold Evans as his replacement.[44] One of his most important changes was the introduction of new technology and efficiency measures. Between March 1981 and May 1982, following agreement with print unions, the hot-metal Linotype printing process used to print The Times since the 19th century was phased out and replaced by computer input and photocomposition. The Times and the Sunday Times were able to reduce their print room staff by half as a result. However, direct input of text by journalists ("single-stroke" input) was still not achieved, and this was to remain an interim measure until the Wapping dispute of 1986, when The Times moved from New Printing House Square in Gray's Inn Road (near Fleet Street) to new offices in Wapping.[45][46]

Robert Fisk,[47] seven times British International Journalist of the Year,[48] resigned as foreign correspondent in 1988 over what he saw as "political censorship" of his article on the shooting down of Iran Air Flight 655 in July 1988. He wrote in detail about his reasons for resigning from the paper due to meddling with his stories, and the paper's pro-Israel stance.[49]

In June 1990, The Times ceased its policy of using courtesy titles ("Mr", "Mrs", or "Miss" prefixes) for living persons before full names on the first reference, but it continues to use them before surnames on subsequent references. In 1992, it accepted the use of "Ms" for unmarried women "if they express a preference."[50]

In November 2003, News International began producing the newspaper in both broadsheet and tabloid sizes.[51] Over the next year, the broadsheet edition was withdrawn from Northern Ireland, Scotland, and the West Country. Since 1 November 2004, the paper has been printed solely in tabloid format.[52]

On 6 June 2005, The Times redesigned its Letters page, dropping the practice of printing correspondents' full postal addresses. Published letters were long regarded as one of the paper's key constituents. According to its leading article "From Our Own Correspondents", the reason for the removal of full postal addresses was to fit more letters onto the page.[53]

In a 2007 meeting with the House of Lords Select Committee on Communications, which was investigating media ownership and the news, Murdoch stated that the law and the independent board prevented him from exercising editorial control.[54]

In May 2008, printing of The Times switched from Wapping to new plants at Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire, and Merseyside and Glasgow, enabling the paper to be produced with full colour on every page for the first time.[55]

On 26 July 2012, to coincide with the official start of the London 2012 Olympics and the issuing of a series of souvenir front covers, The Times added the suffix "of London" to its masthead.[citation needed]

In March 2016, the paper dropped its rolling digital coverage for a series of 'editions' of the paper at 9am, midday, and 5pm on weekdays.[56] The change also saw a redesign of the paper's app for smartphones and tablets.[57]

In April 2018, IPSO upheld a complaint against The Times for its report of a court hearing in a Tower Hamlets fostering case.[58]

In April 2019, culture secretary Jeremy Wright said he was minded to allow a request by News UK to relax the legal undertakings given in 1981 to maintain separate journalism resources for The Times and The Sunday Times.[43][59]

In 2019, IPSO upheld complaints against The Times over their article "GPS data shows container visited trafficking hotspot",[60] and for three articles as part of a series on pollution in Britain's waterways: "No river safe for bathing", "Filthy Business", and "Behind the story".[58] IPSO also upheld complaints in 2019 against articles headlined "Funding secret of scientists against hunt trophy ban,"[61] and "Britons lose out to rush of foreign medical students."[62]

In 2019, The Times published an article about Imam Abdullah Patel that wrongly claimed Patel had blamed Israel for the 2003 murder of a British police officer by a terror suspect in Manchester. The story also wrongly claimed that Patel ran a primary school that had been criticised by Ofsted for segregating parents at events, which Ofsted said was contrary to "British democratic principles." The Times settled Patel's defamation claim by issuing an apology and offering to pay damages and legal costs. Patel's solicitor, Zillur Rahman, said the case "highlights the shocking level of journalism to which the Muslim community are often subject".[63]

In 2019, The Times published an article titled "Female Circumcision is like clipping a nail, claimed speaker". The article featured a photo of Sultan Choudhury beside the headline, leading some readers to incorrectly infer that Choudhury had made the comment. Choudhury lodged a complaint with the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and sued The Times for libel. In 2020, The Times issued an apology, amended its article, and agreed to pay Choudhury damages and legal costs. Choudhury's solicitor, Nishtar Saleem, said, "This is another example of irresponsible journalism. Publishing sensational excerpts on a 'free site' while concealing the full article behind a paywall is a dangerous game".[64]

In December 2020, Cage and Moazzam Begg received damages of £30,000 plus costs in a libel case they had brought against The Times newspaper. In June 2020, a report in The Times suggested that Cage and Begg were supporting a man who had been arrested in relation to a knife attack in Reading in which three men were murdered. The Times report also suggested that Cage and Begg were excusing the actions of the accused man by mentioning mistakes made by the police and others. In addition to paying damages, The Times printed an apology. Cage stated that the damages amount would be used to "expose state-sponsored Islamophobia and those complicit with it in the press. ... The Murdoch press empire has actively supported xenophobic elements and undermined principles of open society and accountability. ... We will continue to shine a light on war criminals and torture apologists and press barons who fan the flames of hate".[65][66]

The Times was forced to correct a false article in January 2025 about electric vehicle (EV) sales, following successful complaint to IPSO.[67]

Content

[edit]

The Times features news for the first half of the paper; the Opinion/Comment section begins after the first news section, with world news normally following this. The Register, which contains obituaries, a Court & Social section, and related material, follows the business pages on the centre spread. The sports section is at the end of the main paper.

Times2

[edit]

The Times' main supplement, every day, is times2, featuring various columns.[68][69] It was discontinued in early March 2010,[70][71] but reintroduced on 12 October 2010 after discontinuation was criticised.[72] Its regular features include a puzzles section called Mind Games. Its previous incarnation began on 5 September 2005, before which it was called T2 and previously Times 2.[72] The supplement contains arts and lifestyle features, TV and radio listings, and theatre reviews. The newspaper employs Richard Morrison as its classical music critic.[73]

The Game

[edit]

The Game is included in the newspaper on Mondays, and details all the weekend's football activity (Premier League and Football League Championship, League One and League Two.) The Scottish edition of The Game also includes results and analysis from Scottish Premier League games. During the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship, there is a daily supplement of The Game.[74]

Saturday supplements

[edit]

The Saturday edition of The Times contains a variety of supplements.

Beginning on 5 July 2003 (issue 67807)[75] and ending after 17 January 2009 (issue 69535),[76][77] Saturday issues of The Times came with a weekly magazine called TheKnowledge containing listings for the upcoming week (from that Saturday to the next Friday) compiled by PA Arts & Leisure[78] (part of Press Association Ltd[79][80]).[non-primary source needed] Its taglines/coverlines include "Your pocket guide to what's on in London",[81][82] "The World's Greatest City, Cut Down To Size",[75] and "Your critical guide to the cultural week".[83][84] It has been described as "a weekly entertainment guide to what to see and what to miss".[85]

These supplements were relaunched on 24 January 2009 as: Sport, Saturday Review (arts, books, TV listings, and ideas), Weekend (including travel and lifestyle features), Playlist (an entertainment listings guide), and The Times Magazine (columns on various topics).[2][77]

The Times Magazine

[edit]

The Times Magazine features columns touching on various subjects such as celebrities, fashion and beauty, food and drink, homes and gardens, or simply writers' anecdotes. Notable contributors include Giles Coren, Food and Drink Writer of the Year in 2005 and Nadiya Hussain, winner of The Great British Bake Off.[86]

Online presence

[edit]
"The Times Online" redirects here. For the online version of The Beaver County Times, see The Beaver County Times.

The Times and The Sunday Times have had an online presence since 1996, originally at the-times.co.uk and sunday-times.co.uk, and later at timesonline.co.uk and thetimes.co.uk. Both papers are now hosted on thetimes.com. There are also iOS and Android editions of both newspapers available in the same app, The Times: UK & World News. Both papers are also hosted in the Classic app, a purpose-built tablet-only application. Since July 2010, News UK has required readers who do not subscribe to the print edition to pay £2 per week to read The Times and The Sunday Times online.[87]

Visits to the websites decreased by 87% after the paywall was introduced in October 2010, from 21 million unique users per month to 2.7 million one month later.[88] In November 2024, thetimes.com site had a readership of 103 million.[89] In October 2011, there were around 111,000 subscribers to The Times' digital products,[90] which increased to 600,000 digital subscribers by September 2024.[91] A Reuters Institute survey in 2024 ranked The Times as having the ninth highest trust rating out of 15 different outlets polled.[92]

The Times Digital Archive is available by subscription.

The Wikipedia community considers The Times and The Sunday Times to be generally reliable sources.[93]

Ownership

[edit]

The Times has had the following eight owners since its foundation in 1785:[94]

Readership

[edit]

The Times had a circulation of 70,405 on 5 September 1870, due to a reduction in price and the Franco-Prussian War.[98][99][100] The Times had a circulation of 150,000 in March 1914, due to a reduction in price.[101] The Times had a circulation of 248,338 in 1958, a circulation of 408,300 in 1968, and a circulation of 295,863 in 1978.[102] At the time of Harold Evans' appointment as editor in 1981, The Times had an average daily sale of 282,000 copies in comparison to the 1.4 million daily sales of its traditional rival, The Daily Telegraph.[44] By 1988, The Times had a circulation of 443,462.[102] By November 2005, The Times sold an average of 691,283 copies per day, the second-highest of any British "quality" newspaper (after The Daily Telegraph, which had a circulation of 903,405 copies in the period), and the highest in terms of full-rate sales.[103] By March 2014, average daily circulation of The Times had fallen to 394,448 copies,[104] compared to The Daily Telegraph's 523,048,[105] with the two retaining respectively the second-highest and highest circulations among British "quality" newspapers. In contrast, The Sun, the highest-selling "tabloid" daily newspaper in the United Kingdom, sold an average of 2,069,809 copies in March 2014,[106] and the Daily Mail, the highest-selling "middle market" British daily newspaper, sold an average of 1,708,006 copies in the period.[107]

The Sunday Times has significantly higher circulation than The Times, and sometimes outsells The Sunday Telegraph. In January 2019, The Times had a circulation of 417,298[108] and The Sunday Times 712,291.[108]

In a 2009 national readership survey, The Times was found to have the highest number of ABC1 25–44 readers and the largest number of readers in London of any of the "quality" papers.[109]

Typeface

[edit]

The Times is the originator of the widely used Times New Roman typeface, originally developed by Stanley Morison of The Times in collaboration with Monotype Imaging for its legibility in low-tech printing. In November 2006, The Times began printing headlines in a new typeface, Times Modern. The Times was printed in broadsheet format for 219 years, but switched to compact size in 2004 in an attempt to appeal more to younger readers and commuters using public transport. The Sunday Times remains a broadsheet.

The… typeface — The Times New Roman — debuted on October 3, 1932… The design was exclusively available to The Times for one year, and then made available to other customers on October 3, 1933. (Documented in a few places, but the reference I have in front of me is The Monotype Recorder vol. XXXI, no. 247, from September–October 1932. Complicating matters, this was misprinted as being vol. XXI, no. 246.)

This is the big one: the previous face was not known as Times Old Roman. Jeez. Just think about it: why would something be known as "old" whatever before there was a new version? In fact — and this is documented in Printing in the Twentieth Century (published by The Times), The Monotype Recorder, and elsewhere — the various typefaces used before the introduction (The) Times New Roman [sic] didn't really have a formal name.

They were a suite of types originally made by Miller and Co. (later Miller & Richards) in Edinburgh around 1813, generally referred to as "modern". When The Times began using Monotype (and other hot-metal machines) in 1908, this design was remade by Monotype for its equipment. As near as I can tell, it looks like Monotype Series no. 1 – Modern (which was based on a Miller & Richards typeface) – was what was used up until 1932.

Dan Rhatigan, type director[110]
An example of the Times New Roman typeface

In 1908, The Times started using the Monotype Modern typeface.[111]

The Times commissioned the serif typeface Times New Roman, created by Victor Lardent at the English branch of Monotype, in 1931.[112] It was commissioned after Stanley Morison had written an article criticising The Times for being badly printed and typographically antiquated.[113] Victor Lardent, an artist from The Times' advertising department, created the typeface under Morison's supervision. Morison used an older typeface named Plantin as the basis for his design but made revisions for legibility and economy of space. Times New Roman made its debut in the issue of 3 October 1932.[114] After one year, the design was released for commercial sale. The Times stayed with Times New Roman for 40 years, but new production techniques and the format change from broadsheet to tabloid in 2004 have caused the newspaper to switch typeface five times since 1972. However, all the new typeface have been variants of the original New Roman type:

  • Times Europa was designed by Walter Tracy in 1972 for The Times, as a sturdier alternative to the Times font family, designed for the demands of faster printing presses and cheaper paper. The typeface features more open counter spaces.[115]
  • Times Roman replaced Times Europa on 30 August 1982.[116]
  • Times Millennium was made in 1991,[116] drawn by Gunnlaugur Briem on the instructions of Aurobind Patel, composing manager of News International.
  • Times Classic first appeared in 2001.[117] Designed as an economical face by the British-type team of Dave Farey and Richard Dawson, it took advantage of the new PC-based publishing system at the newspaper while obviating the production shortcomings of its predecessor, Times Millennium. The new typeface included 120 letters per font. Initially, the family comprised ten fonts, but a condensed version was added in 2004.[118]
  • Times Modern was unveiled on 20 November 2006, as the successor of Times Classic.[116] Designed for improving legibility in smaller font sizes, it uses 45-degree angled bracket serifs. Ben Preston, the deputy editor of The Times, and designer Neville Brody led Research Studios in creating the typeface, which Elsner + Flake published as EF Times Modern.[119]

Political alignment

[edit]

Historically, the paper was not overtly pro-Tory or Whig, but has been a long time bastion of the British Establishment and Empire. In 1959, the historian of journalism Allan Nevins analysed the importance of The Times in shaping the views of events of London's elite, writing:

For much more than a century The Times has been an integral and important part of the political structure of Great Britain. Its news and its editorial comment have in general been carefully coordinated, and have at most times been handled with an earnest sense of responsibility. While the paper has admitted some trivia to its columns, its whole emphasis has been on important public affairs treated with an eye to the best interests of Britain. To guide this treatment, the editors have for long periods been in close touch with 10 Downing Street.[120]

The Times adopted a stance described as "peculiarly detached" at the 1945 general election; although it was increasingly critical of the Conservative Party's campaign, it did not advocate a vote for any one party.[121] However, the newspaper reverted to the Conservatives for the next election five years later. It supported the Conservatives for the subsequent three elections, followed by support for both the Conservatives and the Liberal Party for the next five elections, expressly supporting a Con-Lib coalition in 1974. The paper then backed the Conservatives solidly until 1997, when it declined to make any party endorsement but supported individual (primarily Eurosceptic) candidates.[122]

For the 2001 general election, The Times declared its support for Tony Blair's Labour government, which was re-elected by a landslide (although not as large as in 1997). It supported Labour again in 2005, when Labour achieved a third successive win, though with a reduced majority.[123] In 2004, according to MORI, the voting intentions of its readership were 40% for the Conservative Party, 29% for the Liberal Democrats, and 26% for Labour.[124] For the 2010 general election, the newspaper declared its support for the Conservatives once again; the election ended in the Tories taking the most votes and seats but having to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats in order to form a government as they had failed to gain an overall majority.[125]

Its changes in political alignment make it the most varied newspaper in terms of political support in British history.[125] Some columnists in The Times are connected to the Conservative Party, such as Daniel Finkelstein, Tim Montgomerie, Matthew Parris, and Matt Ridley, but there are also columnists connected to the Labour Party, such as David Aaronovitch and Jenni Russell.[126]

The Times occasionally makes endorsements for foreign elections. In November 2012, it endorsed a second term for Democrat Barack Obama, although it also expressed reservations about his foreign policy.[127]

During the 2019 Conservative leadership election, The Times endorsed Boris Johnson[128] and subsequently endorsed the Conservative Party in the general election of that year.[129]

In 2022, Tony Gallagher was appointed to replace John Witherow, who had served nine years as editor. A former Sun editor, Gallagher enthusiastically backed Brexit during the 2016 EU referendum. According to The Guardian, "The Times' readership is split politically, with journalists at the outlet speculating on how Gallagher will shape the paper's editorial line as the prospect of a Labour government became more likely (in 2024)."[130]

The Times did not endorse any political party at the 2024 general election. In its leader article, it stated that Labour “cannot expect an endorsement” as it had “yet to earn the trust of the British people” and had been “sparing with the truth about what it will do in office”.[131]

Sponsorships

[edit]

The Times, along with the British Film Institute, sponsored the BFI London Film Festival from 2003 to 2009.[132][133] It also sponsors the Cheltenham Literature Festival and the Asia House Festival of Asian Literature at Asia House, London.[134]

Editors

[edit]
[edit]

An Irish digital edition of the paper was launched in September 2015 at TheTimes.ie.[136][137] A print edition was launched in June 2017, replacing the international edition previously distributed in Ireland.[138] The Irish edition was set to close in June 2019 with the loss of 20 jobs.[139]

The Times Literary Supplement (TLS) first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to The Times, becoming a separately paid-for weekly literature and society magazine in 1914.[140] The TLS is owned and published by News International and co-operates closely with The Times, with its online version hosted on The Times website, and its editorial offices based in 1 London Bridge Street, London.[141]

Between 1951 and 1966, The Times published a separately paid-for quarterly science review, The Times Science Review. The Times started a new, free, monthly science magazine, Eureka, in October 2009.[142] The magazine closed in October 2012.[143]

The Times Review of Industry[144] (which began in 1947)[145] and Technology (which began in 1957)[146] merged in March 1963[147] to become The Times Review of Industry & Technology.[148] From 1952, The Times Review of Industry included the London and Cambridge Economic Bulletin.[149]

Times Atlases have been produced since 1895. The Collins Bartholomew imprint of HarperCollins Publishers is currently responsible for producing them. The flagship product is The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World.[150]

In 1971, The Times began publishing the Times Higher Education Supplement (now known as the Times Higher Education) which focuses its coverage on tertiary education.[151]

Historical value

[edit]

In 1915, R P Farley said "the files of the Times must be constantly studied" as an authority for the political and social history of the English people during the period from the Reform Bill 1832 to the Education Act 1870 (1832 to 1870).[152] From 1971 to 1973, John Joseph Bagley said The Times is "valuable" as a source of nineteenth-century English history[153][154] and that the annual index to The Times is useful for the twentieth century.[155] In 2003, Richard Krzys said The Times is very reliable as a source of history.[156] In 2016, Denise Bates said The Times is "indispensable" as a source for historical events of national importance.[157]

In 2019, James Oldham said The Times is an important source for nisi prius trials.[158] In 2015, Johnston and Plummer said that The Times is an important source for music reviews.[159]

[edit]

In the dystopian future world of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Times has been transformed into an organ of the totalitarian ruling party.[160] The book's lead character, Winston Smith is employed to rewrite past issues of the newspaper for the Ministry of Truth.[161]

Rex Stout's fictional detective, Nero Wolfe is described as fond of solving the London Times' crossword puzzle at his New York home, in preference to those of American papers.[162][163]

In the James Bond series by Ian Fleming, James Bond reads The Times. As described by Fleming in From Russia, with Love, The Times was "the only paper that Bond ever read."[164]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

The Times

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The Times is a British national daily founded on 1 January 1785 by printer and publisher John Walter as The Daily Universal Register, which was renamed The Times on 1 January 1788 to better reflect its coverage of current events. Initially a priced at two and a half pence, it prioritized commercial advertisements, shipping news, and parliamentary reports over , establishing an early reputation for factual reliability amid London's competitive press landscape. Under successive generations of the Walter family and later owners including Lord Northcliffe and Roy Thomson, The Times pioneered innovations such as unsigned leading articles in and steam-powered printing, cementing its status as a with profound influence on Victorian-era policy and public opinion, notably through exposés during the that prompted governmental reforms. Acquired by Rupert Murdoch's News International (now ) in 1981 following a near-fatal union strike, the paper transitioned to tabloid format in 2004 while maintaining its emphasis on in-depth , though its positions—generally aligned with centre-right perspectives—have drawn accusations of partisanship from left-leaning critics, particularly in coverage of Labour governments and cultural issues. Today, as part of , The Times reaches a digital and print audience through paywalled content, sustaining its legacy of amid declining physical circulation, with recent accolades including Newspaper of the Year at the 2023 London Press Club Awards.

History

Founding and Early Influence (1785-1890)

The Times originated as The Daily Universal Register, launched on 1 January 1785 by John Walter, a former coal merchant and insurance underwriter, who utilized logographic printing—a system of pre-cast word types—to lower production costs and enable daily publication. Priced at 2½ pence as an evening , it initially focused on , parliamentary reports, and advertisements, with Walter serving as both proprietor and initial editor. The name change to The Times occurred on 1 January 1788, reflecting common reader usage amid confusion with other "registers." John Walter's eldest son, John Walter II, assumed control in 1803 following family disputes and financial pressures, transforming the struggling paper into a viable enterprise by 1814. A pivotal came on 29 November 1814, when Walter II secretly installed the first steam-powered cylinder press, designed by Friedrich Koenig and Friedrich Bauer, which produced 1,100 sheets per hour—quadrupling output compared to hand presses—and was announced in that day's issue as a "wonderful machine" bypassing traditional compositors to avert resistance. This technological leap enhanced timeliness, enabling expanded coverage of events like the reported on 7 November 1805, and supported growth to 12 pages by the 1820s, fostering independence from government advertising subsidies that bound many contemporaries. The appointment of Thomas Barnes as editor in 1817 marked a shift toward liberal, fact-driven , emphasizing foreign correspondence and analytical leader articles that influenced public discourse without overt partisanship. Barnes's tenure until his death in 1841 earned the paper its enduring nickname "The Thunderer" around 1830, derived from vigorous editorials demanding accountability, such as in the scandalous death of Lord Graves, and advocacy for reforms including and the 1832 Reform Act. This era solidified The Times' reputation as the "paper of record," with circulations rising amid the Napoleonic Wars' aftermath, where its dispatches prioritized empirical detail over propaganda, though Walter II's 1812 imprisonment for libel against a highlighted tensions with authorities and bolstered its image as a defender of press liberty. By 1848, John Walter III had succeeded his father, overseeing further mechanical advances like the rotary Walter Press in 1868 and Kastenbein typesetting in 1870, which printed 298 lines per hour and sustained the paper's preeminence through the Victorian era's imperial expansions and domestic upheavals up to 1890. Its early commitment to verifiable reporting and technological edge distinguished it from subsidized rivals, establishing a model of journalistic authority that shaped British opinion on matters from parliamentary debates to international treaties.

Expansion Amid Industrial and Imperial Changes (1890-1945)

Following financial strains in the 1890s under proprietor John Walter III, The Times experienced stagnating readership amid rising competition from cheaper popular newspapers like Alfred Harmsworth's . Circulation hovered below 40,000 daily by the early 1900s, reflecting outdated production methods and a focus on elite audiences during Britain's imperial zenith. On March 15, 1908, , ennobled as Lord Northcliffe, acquired controlling interest for £320,000, ending Walter family ownership after 123 years. Northcliffe, drawing from his success with mass-circulation titles, restructured operations by appointing Charles Frederic Moberly Bell as manager and emphasizing timely reporting, foreign correspondents, and visual elements such as photographs—innovations that distanced the paper from its staid Victorian format. Circulation stood "considerably above" 40,000 in mid-1908, per Bell's statement, with subsequent growth tied to these efficiencies amid industrial advances like improved rotary presses adopted across . The Second Boer War (1899–1902) exemplified The Times's role in imperial journalism, with dedicated war correspondents providing on-the-ground dispatches from that shaped public perceptions of British military challenges against . Post-war, the paper issued The Times History of the War in South Africa in seven volumes (1900–1909), compiling articles and analyses that defended imperial strategy while acknowledging logistical failures, such as early defeats at Colenso and Spion Kop. This coverage reinforced The Times's reputation as a chronicle of empire, though critics like accused it of pro-government bias in suppressing anti-war views. Northcliffe's influence peaked during , where The Times advocated early intervention against and served as a conduit for after Northcliffe's 1918 appointment as head of enemy . Editorial shifts under editor Geoffrey Dawson (1912–1919) aligned with wartime unity, boosting circulation through exclusive dispatches, though Northcliffe's erratic demands strained staff. Following Northcliffe's death in 1922, his brother sold the paper to V, who installed Dawson for a second tenure (1923–1941), prioritizing measured conservatism amid interwar economic upheaval and imperial strains like the 1931 Statute of Westminster. World War II tested The Times's adaptability, with Dawson's initial stance—evident in restrained coverage of Nazi aggressions—drawing postwar scrutiny for allegedly prioritizing diplomatic harmony over full disclosure of threats like the 1938 . Circulation expanded via rationed newsprint efficiencies and radio tie-ins, reaching elite and military readers. A pivotal May 15, 1940, front page juxtaposed outgoing Neville with new leader , signaling editorial endorsement of resolute war leadership amid imperial mobilization across dominions. Dawson resigned in 1941 amid internal pressures, yielding to Ralph Ullswater's interim oversight as the paper championed Allied victory through 1945.

Post-War Challenges and Reorientation (1945-1981)

Following the end of World War II, The Times encountered significant operational constraints due to ongoing newsprint rationing in the United Kingdom, which persisted until 1958 and limited newspaper pagination and circulation growth amid rising demand for information on reconstruction efforts. This scarcity, combined with increased competition from other quality dailies like the Daily Telegraph, contributed to stagnant readership figures hovering around 250,000-300,000 daily copies through the 1950s, while production costs escalated due to outdated printing technology and restrictive union practices that inflated staffing requirements. By the mid-1960s, chronic financial losses under the ownership of the —stemming from high operational expenses and failure to modernize—prompted the sale of the newspaper on 30 September 1966 to Canadian media proprietor Roy Thomson for approximately £12 million, marking the end of over a century of British aristocratic control and initiating a corporate reorientation focused on commercial viability. Under Thomson's International Thomson Organization, investments were directed toward infrastructural upgrades, including the relocation from historic Printing House Square to a new facility at on 22 June 1974, equipped for advanced web-offset printing to enhance efficiency and reduce dependency on labor-intensive letterpress methods. The period's defining challenge emerged in late 1978, when Times Newspapers Limited, facing unsustainable losses exceeding £1 million monthly, initiated a lock-out on 30 after print unions rejected proposals for a single-union agreement, flexible manning levels, and direct input at new presses—reforms essential to counter the industry's shift toward amid declining broadsheet profitability. This dispute, part of the broader , halted publication for nearly 11 months, costing the Thomson Organization over £30 million, until a settlement in October 1979 allowed resumption on 13 with union concessions on productivity, enabling the paper to reorient toward cost-effective operations and foreshadowing further technological integration.

Acquisition by Murdoch and Digital Shift (1981-Present)

In January 1981, Rupert Murdoch's News International agreed to purchase Times Newspapers Limited, which owned The Times and The Sunday Times, from the Thomson Organization for approximately $28 million (£12 million). The deal, announced on January 22, required Murdoch to secure new labor agreements with print unions within three weeks, amid concerns over maintaining the newspaper's editorial independence and character. The acquisition faced opposition from journalists and competitors, who viewed Murdoch's tabloid background as a threat to The Times's broadsheet traditions, but proceeded after government referral to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, which approved it in March 1981. Post-acquisition, The Times encountered severe from unions resisting modernization efforts, including the introduction of computer-based composition systems to replace outdated hot-metal . The newspaper ceased publication for nearly a year from November 1982 to February 13, 1983, when it relaunched with and redesigned sections under editor Charles Wilson. Murdoch's relocation of to a new facility in in 1986, initially for other titles but impacting The Times, triggered violent strikes but ultimately broke union resistance, enabling cost reductions and technological upgrades that stabilized operations. Under News International (later ), The Times expanded supplements and maintained its position as a , though critics alleged editorial influence aligned with Murdoch's views, such as support for Thatcherite policies; assurances of independence were embedded in a 1981 , enforced until its in 2022. Circulation hovered around 400,000-700,000 daily in the 1980s-1990s, bolstered by price cuts that sparked antitrust debates. The digital shift accelerated in the 2000s, with The Times launching an iPad edition on May 28, 2010, followed by redesigned websites on June 25, 2010. A metered paywall was introduced on July 2, 2010, limiting free articles to one per day after a trial period, contrasting with free-access models and aiming to monetize quality journalism amid declining print sales. This strategy yielded growth, with digital subscribers surpassing print by the mid-2010s; by 2020, combined digital and print reached over 700,000, supported by apps and multimedia content. In 2016, the outlet shifted from rolling online news to four daily digital editions for consistency across platforms. As of 2025, The Times operates under News UK, emphasizing subscription-driven digital revenue while print persists, adapting to AI tools and video integration for broader reach.

Editorial Content and Supplements

Core News and Opinion Sections

The core news sections of The Times encompass frontline reporting on domestic affairs, international developments, , , and global events, positioning the newspaper as a paper of record with agenda-setting investigations and exclusives. coverage includes dedicated subsections on , , , the royal family, healthcare, , , and defence, drawing on resident correspondents for in-depth analysis. International reporting features contributions from correspondents stationed in major global cities, supplemented by award-winning journalists and photographers providing on-the-ground accounts of conflicts and diplomatic matters. news integrates economic metrics, corporate developments, and market analysis, often informed by well-connected and Westminster sources. Opinion content is structured around leading articles—unsigned editorials that deliver institutional commentary and analysis on current events, a practice maintained since the newspaper's founding in 1785. These pieces aim to influence public and policy discourse through reasoned arguments grounded in reported facts. The separate Comment section hosts signed columns by a range of contributors spanning the , including satirical cartoons, to offer diverse viewpoints on news and broader issues. This dual format distinguishes The Times' opinion output by combining editorial authority with individual perspectives, though the selection of columnists reflects the paper's editorial priorities under ownership.

Weekend and Specialized Supplements

The Saturday edition of The Times, positioned as the primary weekend offering for the daily newspaper, incorporates multiple supplements designed to extend coverage beyond core news into leisure, culture, and lifestyle topics. Introduced in expansions during the late 20th century, these include The Saturday Review, a dedicated section blending arts criticism, book discussions, and intellectual commentary to engage readers with broader ideas and cultural analysis. In 2000, the edition added Play, a 64-page full-colour guide emphasizing arts, entertainment listings, theatre, and music previews to capitalize on weekend audience shifts toward experiential content. Specialized supplements historically trace to targeted publications like the geographical series issued between 1910 and 1916, which provided in-depth reports on regions such as South America, Russia, and Japan to inform trade, diplomacy, and public understanding amid imperial expansion. In the modern era, prominent examples include the Times Literary Supplement (TLS), established in 1902 as an adjunct to The Times for rigorous literary evaluation but editorially autonomous for over a century, publishing book reviews, essays, poetry, and interdisciplinary pieces fortnightly as of September 2025 following a shift from weekly format and a price increase exceeding 50%. Similarly, the Times Higher Education Supplement, originating in 1971 and rebranded as Times Higher Education (THE), delivers specialized analysis on university rankings, academic policy, and global higher education trends, reflecting the newspaper's extension into sector-specific journalism. These supplements enhance the core publication by diversifying revenue through advertising and subscriptions while maintaining focus on substantive, evidence-based content; for instance, TLS contributions often draw from primary scholarly sources to critique narratives, countering tendencies in academia toward ideological conformity observed in peer-reviewed outputs. Circulation data for individual supplements remains bundled with the main edition, but their role in retaining affluent, educated demographics underscores their economic viability amid print declines.

Digital Platforms and Multimedia Integration

The Times introduced a digital on July 2, 2010, marking one of the first major efforts by a British to charge for online content, with full access to thetimes.co.uk requiring a subscription after an initial £1 trial for 30 days. This model, which bundled access to both The Times and The Sunday Times websites, initially secured over 105,000 paying digital subscribers by November 2010, despite a reported drop in overall unique visitors from 4 million monthly pre-paywall to around 2.5 million post-implementation. By August 2019, the combined titles had surpassed 300,000 paid digital-only subscribers, reflecting sustained growth driven by exclusive content and bundled print-digital offerings. To enhance accessibility, The Times developed mobile applications for and Android devices, launched to deliver , analysis, and archived content optimized for smartphones and tablets, available via the Apple and Google Play Store. These apps integrate push notifications for real-time updates and support offline reading, contributing to subscriber retention by extending the platform's reach beyond desktop browsing. Complementary services like Times+ provide digital perks, including early access and event invitations, tied to subscriptions to foster loyalty amid declining . In multimedia expansion, The Times launched Times Radio in June 2020 as the first British newspaper to offer a dedicated streaming radio service, featuring live broadcasts, on-demand episodes, and integration with its app for casting to smart devices like Google Home or Apple TV. The platform emphasizes discussion-driven content on politics, sports, and culture, with dedicated apps enabling ad-free listening for subscribers. Complementing this, The Times produces a suite of podcasts, such as The Story for daily news recaps and The Game for football analysis, distributed via its website, Apple Podcasts, and dedicated channels, often with subscriber-exclusive bonus episodes to drive digital engagement. Video content, including on-site clips and extended formats, further integrates with articles, though audio formats have gained prominence, as evidenced by podcasts like The Rest is History extending to televised adaptations by 2025. This multimedia strategy aligns with News UK's broader push under Rupert Murdoch to diversify revenue, prioritizing subscriber-funded audio and video over ad-reliant free access.

Ownership and Governance

Pre-20th Century Proprietary Control

The Times originated as The Daily Universal Register, established on January 1, 1785, by printer and publisher John Walter, who served as its initial proprietor and exercised direct control over its operations from premises at Printing-House Square in . Walter, previously involved in the , acquired a for a new printing technology called logography, which he applied to produce the paper as an advertising sheet with limited editorial content. The publication transitioned to The Times on January 1, 1788, reflecting its growing emphasis on news alongside advertisements, under Walter's continued proprietary oversight, which emphasized financial viability through commercial notices rather than political advocacy. In 1803, following financial strains and a libel conviction that briefly imprisoned Walter, control passed to his son, John Walter II, who assumed the roles of proprietor and principal editor, marking a shift toward more assertive journalistic independence. John Walter II expanded the paper's format from four to up to twelve pages, invested in steam-powered printing presses by 1814 to boost production speed and circulation, and navigated challenges such as the 1819 Peterloo Massacre coverage, which tested the family's proprietary autonomy against government pressures. Under his management until his death on July 28, 1847, The Times achieved prominence as a "," with Walter II prioritizing editorial freedom funded by rising advertising revenues, though family control remained tightly held without external shareholders. John Walter III inherited proprietary control upon his father's death in 1847, steering The Times through mid-19th-century expansions, including the introduction of foreign correspondents and coverage of events like the in 1853–1856. As proprietor until his death on November 28, 1894, Walter III maintained family dominance, resisting broader corporate dilution while overseeing technological upgrades such as the 1860s rotary presses, which increased daily output to 50,000 copies by the 1870s. This era solidified the Walter family's hereditary proprietorship, characterized by personal oversight rather than delegated management, ensuring The Times operated as a private enterprise aligned with the proprietors' vision of influential, non-partisan reporting.

20th Century Corporate Transitions

In 1908, Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, acquired a controlling interest in The Times, terminating 123 years of ownership by the Walter family. Northcliffe, a prominent newspaper magnate who had founded the Daily Mail in 1896, invested significantly in the paper's operations, introducing rotary presses and enhancing its reporting capabilities, which bolstered its circulation to over 38,000 daily by 1914. His influence extended to wartime propaganda efforts, where he served as director of propaganda in enemy countries from 1918. Following Northcliffe's death on August 14, 1922, the newspaper was sold to , for approximately £1.2 million, shifting control to the . established a structure to preserve , including a board with diverse representatives and restrictions on proprietor interference, amid ongoing financial challenges that saw daily circulation stabilize around 50,000 in the . The Astors retained proprietorship until financial strains in the 1960s prompted a sale on August 1, 1966, to Roy Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet, for £12 million, integrating The Times into the Thomson Organization as part of Times Newspapers Limited alongside The Sunday Times, which Thomson had acquired in 1959. This marked a pivotal corporate transition from family-held proprietorship to multinational conglomerate ownership, enabling shared resources and the launch of color supplements, though profitability remained elusive with losses exceeding £1 million annually by the late 1970s.

News UK Ownership Under Murdoch

In January 1981, Rupert 's News International acquired The Times and from the , owned by Lord Thomson of Fleet, following three weeks of negotiations and amid significant opposition from unions and competitors. The deal, valued at approximately £12 million though not publicly disclosed at the time, required special government approval under monopoly laws, with Murdoch pledging to preserve the publications' editorial independence, tone, and character despite their financial losses. News International, the acquiring entity, restructured as part of Murdoch's expanding media holdings under , established in 1980 as a . In 2011, amid the phone-hacking scandal, the company rebranded to to distance itself from the controversy, while remaining a wholly owned of responsible for UK newspaper operations, including The Times. Ownership under the features a dual-class share structure in , enabling control through super-voting Class B shares; as of 2024, the family held 41% of voting power despite a 14% economic stake, concentrated via a family trust. This mechanism has preserved Rupert Murdoch's effective dominance since the 1981 acquisition, allowing strategic decisions on titles like The Times without diluting family authority amid public trading. In September 2025, a settlement resolved internal family trust litigation, transferring sole voting control of the shares in —and thus —to , Rupert's eldest son and co-chairman, with departing beneficiaries receiving economic interests but no voting rights under a standstill agreement. This arrangement, reducing family voting shares to about 33% in , maintains oversight of The Times while addressing succession disputes.

Circulation, Readership, and Economic Metrics

The Times' print circulation grew steadily through much of the 19th and 20th centuries, establishing it as a leading amid rising and national demand for authoritative . A pivotal price reduction to one in September 1913 propelled daily sales to approximately 150,000 by March 1914, a sharp increase from prior levels around 50,000, reflecting heightened accessibility during an era of intensifying newspaper competition. By the mid-20th century, circulation hovered around 250,000, buoyed by its reputation as the "paper of record" despite challenges from tabloid rivals and wartime disruptions. Under Rupert Murdoch's ownership starting in 1981, innovations such as full-color printing in 1985 and expanded supplements drove significant gains, with sales climbing from roughly 280,000 to a peak in 1997 before the onset of digital disruption. Average daily paid circulation reached 691,283 by November 2005, underscoring temporary resilience amid broader industry shifts toward online media. However, print sales began a pronounced decline thereafter, exacerbated by free digital alternatives and fragmented attention spans; ABC-audited figures recorded 494,205 copies in August 2010, a 16-year low at the time. By March 2020, average daily circulation had fallen to 365,880, reflecting accelerated erosion as smartphones and news aggregators supplanted physical copies. Subsequent ABC data illustrate ongoing contraction, with print sales dipping below 100,000 in the mid-2020s amid a broader newspaper industry's pivot to digital subscriptions, where The Times has offset some losses through paywalled access and bundled offerings. This trajectory mirrors causal factors like reduced advertising revenue migration to platforms such as and , alongside generational preferences for instantaneous, multimedia news over daily print editions.
PeriodKey Circulation MilestoneNotes
Pre-1914~50,000 dailyModest base before price cut.
150,000 dailyPost-price reduction surge.
Late 1990sPeak salesHeight under Murdoch expansions.
2005691,283 dailyPre-digital acceleration high.
2010494,205 daily16-year low per ABC.
2020365,880 dailyAmid and digital shift.

Contemporary Readership Demographics and Digital Metrics

As of the second half of 2024, The Times and The Sunday Times combined reached 12.6 million adults in the across print and digital platforms, according to PAMCo data. Digital readership accounted for the majority, with 10.3 million monthly digital readers reported in the first half of 2025 under the same measurement standard. These figures reflect a shift toward digital consumption, where has declined to under 100,000 average daily copies amid broader industry trends, while total audience metrics incorporate both paid access and free digital reach. Readership demographics skew toward higher socioeconomic groups, with approximately 86 percent classified as ABC1 (professional and managerial occupations). Readers exhibit above-average affluence, with a mean family income of £55,885. Age distribution shows 41 percent between 35 and 64 years old, aligning with the platform's focus on in-depth analysis appealing to mid-career professionals. The audience is slightly male-dominated at 54 percent, with the largest cohort aged 45-54.
Demographic CategoryKey Metric
Socioeconomic Grade86% ABC1
Age 35-6441% of readers
54%
Primary Age Group (Digital)45-54 years
Mean Family Income£55,885
The Times maintains strong penetration among business decision-makers, reaching one in four such readers daily with 422,000 in that segment. Digital metrics underscore the platform's online scale, with thetimes.co.uk attracting around 12.7 million monthly unique users as of 2024. Paid digital subscriptions reached 594,000 by June 2024, comprising 84 percent of total subscriptions and rising to 616,000 by year-end, driven by content paywalls and expansion. These subscribers contribute to revenue stability, supporting pre-tax profits of £61 million for the year ending June 2024. extends reach, with 4.5 million followers across platforms and 2.4 million subscribers. Engagement metrics, such as attention scores 59 percent above display ad averages, indicate sustained user interest in digital formats.

Editorial Stance and Political Orientation

Evolution of Political Positions

In its early years, The Times espoused liberal positions, advocating parliamentary reform and economic liberalization. Under editor Thomas Barnes from 1817 to 1841, the newspaper campaigned vigorously for the , which expanded the electorate and redistributed parliamentary seats, positioning itself as a proponent of moderate Whig reforms against aristocratic privilege. It further supported Robert Peel's repeal of the in 1846, arguing that protectionist tariffs exacerbated famine and hindered , thereby influencing public and elite opinion toward dismantling mercantilist barriers despite opposition from landed interests. This stance reflected a commitment to empirical economic reasoning over entrenched , though the paper maintained editorial independence by critiquing government excesses. By the mid-19th century under John Thadeus Delane (1841–1877), The Times evolved toward a more establishment-oriented , serving as a critical but supportive voice for imperial policy and moderate governance. It backed Viscount Palmerston's foreign interventions, such as during the (1853–1856), while exposing military mismanagement through investigative reporting that prompted reforms. This period marked a shift from radical to , prioritizing and institutional stability over ideological purity, though the paper occasionally challenged prime ministers like Disraeli on specific issues such as colonial overreach. In the early 20th century, under proprietor Alfred Harmsworth (Lord Northcliffe) from , The Times adopted a more interventionist editorial line, supporting the Liberal government's pre-war reforms but turning critical of Asquith's handling of Irish Home Rule and wartime strategy. During the 1930s, editor Geoffrey Dawson aligned the paper with Neville Chamberlain's policy toward , publishing editorials that downplayed Hitler's aggressions and advocated concessions like the of 1938 to preserve peace, reflecting a broader elite aversion to another European war informed by World War I's casualties. This position drew postwar criticism for underestimating totalitarian threats and delaying rearmament, with Dawson resigning in 1941 amid shifting public sentiment; the paper then pivoted to staunch support for Winston Churchill's war leadership, as evidenced by its coverage celebrating his appointment as . Postwar, The Times generally endorsed the Conservative Party in general elections from 1950 onward, aligning with free-market and anti-socialist policies amid Labour's nationalizations, though it maintained detachment in 1945 amid the Conservatives' electoral defeat. Exceptions occurred under , with endorsements for Labour in 2001 and 2005, citing modernization and economic competence over traditional affiliations. Acquisition by in 1981 intensified a right-leaning orientation, with robust support for Margaret Thatcher's deregulation and confrontation of unions, such as during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, framed as necessary to curb inflationary wage pressures and restore industrial discipline. Subsequent endorsements favored Conservatives in 2010, 2015, and 2019, emphasizing delivery and fiscal prudence, though by the 2024 election, the paper critiqued Conservative governance harshly without a formal party endorsement, signaling frustration with internal divisions and policy execution while upholding center-right principles like intervention. This evolution underscores a trajectory from 19th-century to 20th-century , modulated by ownership changes and geopolitical imperatives, with consistent emphasis on evidence-based critique over partisan loyalty.

Key Endorsements and Policy Influences

The Times has historically aligned its endorsements with the Conservative Party in UK general elections, reflecting its centre-right editorial stance favoring free-market policies and intervention. In the 2019 election, it explicitly backed Boris Johnson's Conservatives, arguing for a resolution to the impasse through maintained European ties post-departure while prioritizing domestic sovereignty. This continued a pattern seen in prior elections, such as 2015 and 2017, where it supported and amid economic stability concerns and EU negotiations. A notable departure occurred in the 2024 , when The Times opted not to endorse any party, citing the Conservatives' governance failures under multiple leaders and Labour's untested promises, though it expressed cautious optimism for Keir Starmer's potential stability without full-throated support. This drew reader criticism for perceived indecision, prompting the temporary disablement of comments on the . In policy spheres, The Times exerted influence through sustained editorial advocacy for Thatcher-era reforms, including monetarist controls that curbed from 18% in 1980 to 4.6% by 1983, privatization of state assets like British Telecom (raising £3.9 billion by 1990), and restrictions on union power via laws limiting strikes. Its coverage post-1981 acquisition amplified these shifts, with "Thunderer" leader columns shaping Conservative rhetoric on and individual enterprise, contributing to public acceptance of GDP growth averaging 2.5% annually in the despite initial recessions. Critics attribute this alignment to reciprocal arrangements, as Thatcher's government expedited 's approval amid opposition from print unions. On , The Times endorsed Remain in the 2016 referendum, warning of economic risks like a projected 6% GDP hit from barriers, but post-vote editorials pivoted to pragmatic implementation, critiquing EU intransigence while defending red lines on fisheries and state aid to preserve . This stance influenced debates by prioritizing regulatory autonomy over single-market access, aligning with subsequent deals that boosted non-EU exports by 20% from 2019 to 2023 despite overall frictions. More recently, its advocacy for fiscal restraint has pressured governments, as seen in 2022 critiques of Truss's mini-budget that precipitated gilt yields spiking to 4.5%, forcing reversals.

Criticisms of Bias and Defenses of Independence

The Times has faced accusations of right-leaning bias, particularly attributed to its ownership by under , with critics arguing that editorial decisions reflect the proprietor's conservative preferences. rates the newspaper as right-center biased due to story selection and editorials favoring conservative positions, though it scores high for factual reporting. A 2017 YouGov survey found that 56% of respondents viewed The Times as slightly or fairly right-wing. Such perceptions are amplified by historical patterns, including consistent endorsements of the Conservative Party in UK general elections until recent shifts, and coverage perceived as supportive of and skeptical of Labour policies. Ownership-related concerns intensified following the 1981 acquisition by 's News International, which imposed legally binding assurances of to secure regulatory approval; these were challenged in 2021 when sought their repeal, finalized in 2022 under Culture Secretary , prompting claims that it enabled unchecked proprietor influence. Reports describe as hands-on in shaping content to align with his views, though more overtly at tabloids like The Sun than broadsheets. Left-leaning outlets, such as , have highlighted this as eroding journalistic autonomy, citing instances where Times coverage allegedly prioritized 's business or political interests. Defenses of The Times' independence emphasize its operational separation from owner directives, evidenced by ' center bias rating derived from blind surveys and expert analysis, contrasting with more partisan outlets. The maintains a diverse roster of columnists spanning political spectra, and internal safeguards, including the upheld independence clause until 2022, have preserved in practice, as argued by supporters who note the clause's redundancy given consistent ethical adherence. Recent examples include pointed critiques of Conservative governance, such as a May 2025 column decrying the party's post-election disarray and lack of coherent offerings, and the Sunday Times' endorsement of Labour in the 2024 —its first since 2001—signaling willingness to diverge from traditional alignments. Critics' bias claims often emanate from ideologically opposed media, where accusations may reflect broader institutional left-leaning tilts rather than empirical imbalances; for instance, Press Gazette analyses classify The Times' online content as broadly neutral, with right-leaning categorizations stemming primarily from endorsements rather than routine reporting. The Times asserts in its a commitment to trustworthy, impartial amid widespread distrust in media, positioning itself as a to perceived echo chambers.

Design, Typeface, and Technical Innovations

Evolution of Layout and Printing Techniques

The Times initially relied on hand-composed type and wooden hand presses, limiting output to approximately 250 impressions per hour. On November 29, 1814, it became the first newspaper worldwide to employ a steam-powered cylinder press developed by Friedrich Koenig and Andreas Bauer, secretly tested overnight to avoid alarming compositors; this innovation boosted production to 1,100 sheets per hour, enabling larger circulations and timely reporting. By the mid-19th century, further addressed typesetting bottlenecks. In 1869, The Times installed the Walter Press, the world's first complete stereotyping rotary reel-fed perfector , designed in-house by Francis Warden and engineered to print on continuous paper rolls at high speeds while producing perfect impressions on both sides. That same year, it adopted Kastenbein composing machines, becoming the first London daily to mechanize , which automated line assembly from foundry type and reduced manual labor. Layout remained in traditional format with multi-column arrangements suited to letterpress, prioritizing dense text over visuals until the . In 1961, permanent placement of content on marked a shift toward more accessible , moving beyond classifieds and notices. The introduction of computer-assisted photocomposition and direct digital input during the facilitated flexible layouts, though it provoked labor resistance; this enabled offset lithography, improving color reproduction and images. In 2006, alongside its broadsheet edition, The Times launched a compact format with adjusted column widths and condensed spacing to enhance portability and readability on smaller pages, reflecting economic pressures and reader preferences for quicker consumption. These changes preserved core aesthetics in layout—such as hierarchical headings and sidebar features—while adapting printing to web-fed offset processes for efficiency.

Adoption of Modern Typefaces and Digital Formats

In response to advancing printing technologies and the shift toward computerized typesetting in the late , The Times adopted Times Millennium, a digitized adaptation of its traditional , in 1991 to accommodate electronic production methods and improve legibility in smaller formats. This update marked an early transition from hot-metal printing to digital workflows, enabling more efficient page composition while preserving the newspaper's established aesthetic. Following the 2004 conversion from to compact tabloid , which necessitated refinements for denser layouts, The Times introduced Times Modern in February 2007 as its primary body , replacing the earlier Times Classic variant. Designed by Edwina Ellis in collaboration with Monotype, Times Modern features subtle adjustments for enhanced on both print and emerging digital screens, including optimized stroke weights and spacing to reduce visual fatigue in lower-resolution displays. This typeface family, encompassing multiple weights and styles, supports the newspaper's dual-platform presence and has been integral to its and mobile editions since their rollout. The Times pioneered digital formats among major British newspapers with the launch of Times Online in 2001, consolidating web content from separate sites into a unified platform, though initial access remained largely free. A pivotal advancement occurred on July 2, 2010, when it implemented the UK's first hard digital for a national title, charging £1 per day or £8 weekly for full access to articles, archives, and , a strategy that initially faced subscriber resistance but ultimately drove revenue diversification amid declining print sales. Further digital evolution came in March 2016 with the adoption of an edition-based model across its website and newly upgraded apps for and Android, replacing continuous rolling news updates with structured daily editions refreshing at set intervals (9 a.m., noon, and 5 p.m. on weekdays) to mimic the curated feel of print while enhancing user through personalized notifications and integrated video content. This shift, coupled with the introduction of e-paper replicas via the Times e-Paper service, allowed subscribers to replicate the full newspaper layout on tablets and mobiles, supporting over 300,000 digital-only subscriptions by 2020. These formats prioritized premium, ad-light experiences, contributing to profitability with reported digital revenues exceeding print by the mid-2010s.

Leadership and Editorial Figures

Notable Editors and Their Tenures

Thomas Barnes served as editor of The Times from 1817 until his death on 29 July 1841, succeeding John Stoddart and establishing the newspaper's reputation as a forceful, independent voice dubbed the "Thunderer" for its influential leader articles on political matters. Under Barnes, circulation grew from around 7,000 copies daily to over 30,000, reflecting its rising prominence in critiquing government policies and advocating liberal reforms without overt party allegiance. John Thadeus Delane succeeded Barnes as editor in 1841 and held the position for 36 years until his retirement in 1877, exerting a profound influence on the paper's journalistic standards through rigorous reporting and balanced commentary on events like the , where The Times' dispatches exposed military mismanagement. Delane's tenure emphasized factual accuracy and detachment from proprietors' views, maintaining the paper's role as a national institution despite personal controversies, such as his involvement in the 1853 Kemble divorce case coverage. George Geoffrey Dawson edited The Times from 1912 to 1919 and again from 1923 to 1941, the longest combined tenure in the paper's modern history, during which he navigated coverage of both world wars but faced criticism for editorial sympathy toward policies in the 1930s. Dawson's approach prioritized imperial interests and conservative diplomacy, shaping the paper's stance on events like the Abdication Crisis of 1936, though his decisions were later scrutinized for potentially undermining public resolve against . In more recent decades, John Witherow edited The Times from January 2013 to September 2022, overseeing its transition to digital prominence and coverage of major events including and the , while maintaining a center-right orientation amid debates over press freedom. He was succeeded by Tony Gallagher on 28 September 2022, who continues as editor, focusing on and subscription growth in a competitive media landscape.

Influential Columnists and Contributors

Bernard Levin served as a columnist for The Times from 1971 to 1997, earning acclaim for his incisive commentary on , , which The Times later described as marking him as the publication's most famous of his era. His weekly pieces, often blending erudition with polemic, influenced public discourse on issues from British to international affairs, and he contributed 26 years of consistent output before retiring due to health issues. Matthew Parris has been a prominent columnist at The Times since joining in 1988, following his tenure as a Conservative MP and foreign correspondent, where his witty, contrarian takes on politics and travel have shaped reader perspectives on topics like Brexit and global leadership. Parris, a winner of the British Press Awards and Orwell Prize, maintains a focus on personal observation over partisan alignment, critiquing figures across the spectrum. In contemporary opinion writing, contributes motoring reviews and broader cultural commentary to , leveraging his status as one of Britain's most recognizable journalists to comment on consumer trends and societal shifts since the early . His columns, known for irreverent humor, have driven significant readership engagement, with Clarkson authoring weekly pieces that extend beyond automotive topics to critiques. Giles Coren, a food and restaurant critic turned general columnist, joined The Times in the mid-2000s and received the Food and Drink Writer of the Year award in 2005 for his vivid, opinionated prose that challenges culinary establishments and cultural norms. Coren's influence lies in his unfiltered style, which has prompted debates on dining ethics and media responsibility, though occasionally drawing accusations of excess. Recent additions include , who transitioned from editing to The Times columnist in 2023, bringing expertise in conservative policy analysis and economic commentary honed from his early career at the paper in 1996. Similarly, former began a weekly column for in October 2025, aiming to foster direct reader dialogue on post-tenure political reflections. These figures underscore The Times' tradition of blending established voices with high-profile contributors to sustain its role in opinion formation.

Controversies and Ethical Challenges

Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of The Times and in January 1981 from the Thomson Organization raised immediate concerns about preserving , prompting conditions aimed at safeguarding the newspapers' integrity despite Murdoch's reputation for hands-on management in other publications. These included pledges to avoid undue interference, though critics argued that Murdoch's control over News International enabled a culture prioritizing and commercial gain over , as evidenced by later scandals. The scandal, erupting in 2011, implicated News International broadly under Murdoch's ownership, with illegal voicemail interceptions initially at the but revealing systemic ethical failures across the group that tarnished The Times' reputation by association. While The Times itself avoided direct phone hacking convictions, the scandal prompted scrutiny of its practices, including a 2009 incident where reporter accessed the email account of anonymous police blogger "Nightjack" (Richard Horton) without permission to verify his identity for an outing story. This unauthorized access, involving password guessing, led to Horton suing The Times for misuse of private information, with the paper settling out of court in 2012 after admitting liability. At the , convened on July 13, 2011, by Prime Minister to examine press ethics following the hacking revelations, Times editor James Harding testified on February 7, 2012, issuing a public apology for the Nightjack intrusion, stating he "sorely regretted" it and that evidence of the hacking had been withheld from the during initial proceedings. Harding defended the paper's overall standards but acknowledged the episode fell short, while editors, including those from The Times, warned that proposed regulatory reforms risked a "" on by imposing state-backed oversight. The inquiry's November 2012 report criticized News International's governance under for failing to prevent widespread unlawful practices, recommending a new independent regulator with statutory incentives, though it exempted The Times from specific findings beyond the email case. Ownership concerns centered on 's dominant influence—controlling about 40% of newspaper circulation—fostering a pressurized environment conducive to corner-cutting, as testified by former executives; however, defenders, including himself during his November 2011 appearance, attributed issues to rogue elements rather than top-down directives. The ultimately led to abandoned bids for greater media consolidation, like the BSkyB takeover, and reinforced debates over media plurality without imposing direct penalties on The Times' operations.

Accusations of Editorial Bias and Fact-Checking Disputes

The Times has been accused by media watchdogs and political commentators of exhibiting a centre-right editorial bias, particularly in its political endorsements and coverage of issues such as Brexit, immigration, and foreign policy. Ownership by News UK, controlled by Rupert Murdoch since 1981, has fueled claims that the newspaper aligns with conservative interests, including consistent support for the Conservative Party in elections; for instance, it endorsed Boris Johnson's Conservatives in the 2019 general election, drawing criticism from Labour supporters for downplaying policy shortcomings. Such accusations often originate from left-leaning outlets and academics, which themselves face scrutiny for systemic biases, though empirical analyses of story selection confirm a right-leaning tilt in editorial positions. Critics have pointed to specific instances, such as the newspaper's sceptical stance on consensus, where coverage has been alleged to underemphasize scientific agreement in favor of contrarian views, as documented in academic studies of Murdoch-owned media. In , journalists internal to outlets, including The Times, have anonymously alleged pro-Israel bias in Gaza conflict reporting, claiming disproportionate focus on Israeli narratives over Palestinian casualties. Conversely, during the 2016 EU referendum, the paper's endorsement of Remain led former staff to accuse it of breaching 1981 ownership undertakings promising independence from party bias, particularly in its critical coverage of UKIP. Fact-checking disputes have arisen in regulatory rulings by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), to which The Times subscribes. In June 2015, IPSO ordered the first-ever front-page correction highlight after finding a headline—"Labour's £1,000 tax on families"—misleading, as it inaccurately implied a new policy burden without context on exemptions. The newspaper maintains a corrections column and commits to IPSO standards, issuing clarifications for errors like misattributed quotes or factual inaccuracies in political reporting. Additional controversies include 2019 coverage of cultural practices, such as an article quoting a speaker equating female genital mutilation to nail clipping, which opponents labeled as biased sensationalism amplifying anti-immigration sentiments, though no formal IPSO breach was upheld. These incidents underscore ongoing tensions between the paper's investigative approach and claims of selective framing.

Responses to Government and Regulatory Pressures

In the aftermath of the , which recommended a new regulatory framework for the press underpinned by and legislation, The Times and its owner mounted a vigorous opposition to any statutory elements, warning that they would erode journalistic independence and enable future political meddling. Then-editor John Witherow cautioned in January 2012 that such measures would position the government as an arbiter of acceptable , potentially stifling investigative reporting. The praised David Cameron's November 2012 decision to reject full implementation of the recommendations, describing it as a principled stand against encroachments on press liberty that aligned with democratic safeguards. The Times declined to participate in the 2013 cross-party scheme for press self-regulation, aligning instead with the creation of the in September 2014 as a voluntary, industry-led enforcer of ethical standards lacking governmental enforcement powers. This choice reflected a broader industry rejection of state involvement, prioritizing self-accountability to avoid precedents for oversight that could extend to content control. News UK, publisher of The Times, similarly resisted Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013, a provision that would have required news organizations to cover both sides' legal costs in proceedings—win or lose—unless they joined a Leveson-compliant regulator, which the industry deemed a coercive "exemplary costs" penalty aimed at forcing alignment with politically influenced bodies. In response to government consultations, and hundreds of other publishers condemned the measure as incompatible with access to justice and an indirect regulatory straitjacket, contributing to its non-commencement and subsequent repeal efforts in the Media Bill of 2024. More recently, amid debates over the Online Safety Act 2023—which empowers Ofcom to oversee online content for harms including misinformation—The Times has defended the law against claims of inherent censorship risks to legitimate journalism, arguing in May 2022 that it targets illegal material without mandating suppression of lawful debate. By July 2025, editorials emphasized the need for calibrated enforcement to prevent overreach, such as platforms preemptively restricting political discourse to evade fines, while upholding the Act's intent to enhance user protections without compromising core freedoms. Historically, The Times confronted wartime censorship pressures, as in when it submitted dispatches to the Official Press Bureau for approval; a of an approved report on naval setbacks, despite Bureau alterations, provoked Prime Ministerial rebuke for alarming the public, underscoring the paper's adherence to official processes amid calls for greater official news provision to mitigate burdens. Such episodes illustrated a pattern of pragmatic compliance with immediate security demands while advocating for systemic improvements in government-press relations to preserve informational accuracy.

Cultural and Historical Impact

Role as a Record of British Events

The Times has functioned as a key historical repository for British events since its founding in 1785, often described as the "paper of record" for its detailed contemporaneous reporting preserved in . Its editions provide material for scholars, with the full run digitized in form spanning over two centuries, enabling precise reconstruction of public knowledge at the time of major occurrences. One early landmark in this role was the coverage of the on June 18, 1815, with news reaching London by June 22 and prompting multiple printings of that day's edition to meet demand for accounts of the allied victory over led by the Duke of Wellington. The reporting captured the strategic and human elements of the engagement, which ended the and reshaped European geopolitics, serving as a foundational document for subsequent historical analysis. In the of 1853–1856, The Times dispatched as its first dedicated , whose dispatches from the front, including the October 25, 1854 at Balaclava—published November 14—detailed tactical blunders and supply shortages afflicting British forces. These accounts, drawn from direct observation, ignited domestic scrutiny of military administration, contributing to administrative reforms under Nightingale's influence and establishing as a standard for conflict documentation. During the Second World War, The Times chronicled pivotal political shifts, such as the May 10, 1940 replacement of by as amid the Nazi invasion of , with editions like the May 15 weekly supplement juxtaposing the outgoing and incoming leaders to reflect the gravity of the leadership change. Its sustained wartime coverage, including frontline updates and policy debates, preserved the timeline of Britain's resilience against Axis aggression, from the on May 26–June 4, 1940, to VE Day on May 8, 1945, underscoring its utility as an unvarnished ledger of national trials.

Influence on Public Discourse and Policy

The Times has historically shaped British public discourse through investigative reporting and editorial positions that pressured governments toward reform. During the (1853–1856), its correspondent William Howard Russell's on-the-ground dispatches detailed supply shortages, disease outbreaks, and unnecessary deaths among British troops, reaching a circulation of over 30,000 and igniting widespread public outrage. This coverage contributed to the resignation of Lord Aberdeen's government on January 29, 1855, and catalyzed military administrative changes, including the Sanitary Commission's interventions and Florence Nightingale's hospital reforms, which reduced mortality rates from 42% to under 2% through evidence-based sanitation. In the political sphere, the paper's advocacy amplified calls for structural change, as seen in its support for the Reform Act of 1832, which redistributed parliamentary seats from "rotten boroughs" to industrial centers and extended the franchise to about 650,000 middle-class men, addressing representational imbalances amid fears of unrest following events like the . Its "Thunderer" editorials, a tradition originating in the early , established a model for leader columns that influenced elite and public opinion on , imperial matters, and , often prioritizing empirical critique over partisan loyalty. Under owners like Alfred Harmsworth (Lord Northcliffe) from 1908, The Times shifted toward more interventionist journalism, endorsing coalition governments and while critiquing , which informed interwar debates. In the late , following Rupert Murdoch's acquisition in 1981—facilitated by Thatcher's override of monopoly objections—the paper aligned with Thatcherite reforms, providing detailed coverage and endorsements that bolstered public discourse on , union curbs, and fiscal , with its 1979 election support coinciding with Thatcher's victory amid 5.9% inflation and industrial strife. This reciprocity underscored media-government dynamics, though direct causal impact on remains debated, as shifts also stemmed from broader economic pressures like the 1976 IMF bailout. More recently, The Times' influence has persisted in opinion-forming on issues like and , with editorials critiquing overreach and advocating controlled borders, shaping Conservative policy platforms in the election where its pro-Boris Johnson stance aligned with a 43.6% vote share for the party. However, empirical assessments indicate diminishing sway over voter behavior, as evidenced by its abstention from endorsing any party in the 2024 general election amid Labour's , reflecting fragmented media effects in an era of digital alternatives and declining below 300,000 daily.

Representations in Literature and Media

The Times has been referenced in as a symbol of journalistic authority and the preferred reading material of the educated elite, often serving as a or marker of . In Arthur Conan Doyle's (1902), identifies the source of a threatening anonymous letter through its , distinguishing the "leaded bourgeois type" of The Times supplement from cheaper evening papers, underscoring the newspaper's distinct prestige and widespread recognition in Edwardian society. Such depictions extend to its portrayal as an everyday emblem of reliability, with characters across Victorian and early 20th-century novels consulting it for news or advertisements, reflecting its status as the "paper of record." In media, The Times featured in the 1942 documentary Morning Paper: The Times Newspaper, which chronicled the production of an issue amid , from editorial conferences to printing presses, highlighting the paper's resilience and operational rigor during wartime. This portrayal emphasized its role in sustaining public information under duress, aligning with its historical self-image as an unflinching chronicler of events.

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  156. https://bookviewcafe.com/research-reading-sherlock-holmes-and-the-london-newspapers/
  157. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRJuPHRfvDY
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