The Times - Introduction

 

The Times - Introduction

1) What year was The Times founded and when did it start using the Times name?

It was formed in 1785, but it started o use it modern name on 1 January 1788.

2) What content did John Walter suggest the paper would offer in the first edition?

He wants to produce a newspaper that appealed to a larger audience, so it started to include stories of the latest scandals and gossip about famous people in London.

3) Who owns The Times today and how is editorial integrity protected?

The Times wholly owned by the News Corp group headed by Rupert Murdoch.

4) What did The Times introduce in 2010 and why?

In 2010, following in the footsteps of The Wall Street Journal, The Times (London) implemented a "hard" paywall; a decision which was controversial because, unlike The Wall Street Journal, The Times is a general news site, and it was said that rather than paying, users would seek the information without charge.

5) What was The Times named in 2018 by the Reuters Institute for Journalism at Oxford University?

In 2018 The Times was named Britain's most trusted national newspaper.

6) What does the section on Editorial Standards say about The Times and newspaper regulation?

The Times takes complaints about editorial content seriously. We are committed to abiding by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (“IPSO”) rules and regulations and the Editors' Code of Practice that Ipso enforces.

7) What does the section on Ownership say about The Times and who is the current editor? 

Tony Gallagher is a British newspaper journalist, and is currently editor of The Times. He was editor of The Daily Telegraph, joint deputy editor of the Daily Mail, and editor of The Sun in 2015, before being appointed editor of The Times in 2022.

8) Write down three key statistics from this page.

1.04m - Average daily readership.

£55,885 - Times readers have a mean family income.

62% - Social grade AB.

9) Look at the various sections of the newspaper outlined on this page (e.g. Entertainment, Announcements, Travel). What do these sections suggest about The Times newspaper's audience?

The Times' target audience, according to ABC data, is predominantly ABC1, over 35 and has a liberal/ right-wing political stance.

10) Click on three of the sections - your choice. Write down one key detail for each section you choose e.g. Travel - more Times readers took a holiday abroad last year than any other newspaper.

According to the British Business Survey (Sept 2011), The Times is the No.1 daily newspaper for business readers and reaches 50% more decision makers than the Financial Times or the Daily Telegraph.