About
Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
![Louise Thomas](https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/support-us/louise-thomas.png)
Louise Thomas
Editor
On 26 October 2010, the Independent made its latest game-changing contribution to British journalism with the launch of its new sister paper i. The first new quality daily newspaper in this country for 25 years, i represents a new way of looking at the quality press, catering to a very different market: time-poor young people and commuters who care about design, and want a concise digest of the day’s issues.
Revolutionary though it is, i is only the latest move in The Independent’s grand tradition of breaking ground in a crowded market. In September 2003, for instance, The Independent changed the face of the market forever by being the first national daily paper to adopt a compact format.
Following this success, in October 2005 The Independent on Sunday also became compact, while in June 2007 it was re-launched with a leaner and even more compact look with one supplement, The New Review.
In April 2010, the daily newspaper received a much-needed redesign, and now sports a modern, streamlined look – a perfect counterpoint to the brasher i.
Truly multi-platform
The Independent now publishes six distinct products and platforms: The Independent, i, independent.co.uk, the iPad app, the smartphone apps and The Independent on Sunday. Each of these has unique benefits and a distinct audience share. For more information on our online and digital output, click here.
The Independent
The current iteration of the daily paper is clean and compact. Published Monday to Saturday, it consists each day of a main jacket and the new ‘Viewspaper’, a 24-page section specialising in informed opinion and debate. Monday boasts a dedicated 20+ page sports supplement, while Friday’s paper comes with an agreeably chunky Arts and Books section – a cutting-edge supplement jam-packed with features on film, music, theatre and books. It provides readers with a weekly dose of entertainment, which forms an integral part of their lifestyle in a digestible format.
The Saturday edition, meanwhile, comes with a bonanza of upscale supplements, including a 24-page sports section, the Traveller travel supplement, a listings booklet called ‘The Information’, and the glossy Saturday Magazine.
The Information is billed as the essential guide to going out and staying in, and targeted at young, urban professionals who want to make the most of their leisure time. Every Saturday this 44-page entertainment and listings supplement features ’50 of the best’ ranging from the 50 best places to eat al fresco, to the 50 best bathrooms essentials and the 50 best home computers. As well as publishing full 7-day TV satellite and radio listings which reflect its national distribution. The Information also contains reviews and details of what’s showing in the arts, books, film, music, clubs, comedy and much more.
The Magazine is targeted unashamedly at an intelligent readership, via a variety of features including high-brow celebrity interviews, current affairs, art and photographic exhibitions. These are all combined with a mix of games and crosswords, weekly contributors and regular lifestyle columns.
Various pullout sections – Style & Beauty, Health & Wellbeing, Gadgets & Games, Food & Drink, and Education & Careers – were discontinued in 2010 and collapsed back into the main jacket. Each now gets its own dedicated cluster of pages.
i
i is published from Monday to Friday each week, a snip at 20p. It caters to a very different audience from that of its parent paper – aimed as it is at young, time-poor commuters who still seek a crucial daily digest of current affairs. A bold experiement, i aims to reach new markets that old print media can’t touch. What's more, it's meeting its aims with great success, with healthy circulation improving month-on-month.
Most recently, the success of this plucky little upstart has spawned a Sturday edition. Still an astonishing bargain at 30p, i on Saturday packs a meaner punch, with more sections, more features, and all the goodness consumers have come to expect from their Saturday papers.
Independent on Sunday
The Sunday paper is a standalone publication, produced by a dedicated team of journalists. It’s a meatier product than its daily sister, heavy on hard-hitting opinion and lifestyle articles. It contains a sport pullout, as well as an eight-page i section in the main jacket, and the famed New Review section.
The New Review has always been renowned for its strong reportage, news features and cultured outlook. Over time, it has developed into a more rounded product, reflecting the changing needs of Sunday readers, whilst still holding true to its core values. Black-and-white reportage photography and current affairs stories sit happily alongside features on Jean Paul Gaultier or the Bollywood invasion, as well as a uniquely authoritative books
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments