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''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily
broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long vertical pages, typically of . Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner and tabloid–compact formats. Description Many broadsheets measure roughly ...
newspaper published in London by
Telegraph Media Group Telegraph Media Group Limited (TMG; previously the Telegraph Group) is the proprietor of ''The Daily Telegraph'' and ''The Sunday Telegraph''. It is a subsidiary of Press Holdings. David and Frederick Barclay acquired the group on 30 July 2004, af ...
and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was founded by Arthur B. Sleigh in 1855 as ''The Daily Telegraph & Courier''. Considered a
newspaper of record A newspaper of record is a major national newspaper with large circulation whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered authoritative and independent; they are thus "newspapers of record by reputation" and include some of the o ...
over '' The Times'' in the UK in the years up to 1997, ''The Telegraph'' generally has a reputation for high-quality journalism, and has been described as being "one of the world's great titles". The paper's motto, "Was, is, and will be", appears in the editorial pages and has featured in every edition of the newspaper since 19 April 1858. The paper had a circulation of 363,183 in December 2018, descending further until it withdrew from newspaper circulation audits in 2019, having declined almost 80%, from 1.4 million in 1980.
United Newspapers PLC and Fleet Holdings PLC
', Monopolies and Mergers Commission (1985), pp. 5–16.
Its sister paper, '' The Sunday Telegraph'', which started in 1961, had a circulation of 281,025 as of December 2018. The two sister newspapers are run separately, with different editorial staff, but there is cross-usage of stories. ''The Telegraph'' has had a number of news scoops, including the outbreak of World War II by rookie reporter Clare Hollingworth, described as "the scoop of the century", the 2009 MP expenses scandalwhich led to a number of high-profile political resignations and for which it was named 2009 British Newspaper of the Yearand its 2016 undercover investigation on the England football manager
Sam Allardyce Samuel Allardyce (; born 19 October 1954), colloquially referred to as Big Sam, is an English football manager and former professional player. Allardyce made 578 league and cup appearances in a 21-year career spent mostly in the Football Lea ...
.


History


Founding and early history

The ''Daily Telegraph and Courier'' was founded by Colonel Arthur B. Sleigh in June 1855 to air a personal grievance against the future commander-in-chief of the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...
, Prince George, Duke of Cambridge.Burnham, 1955. p. 1
Joseph Moses Levy Joseph Moses Levy (15 December 1812 – 12 October 1888) was a British newspaper editor and publisher. Biography Levy was born in London on 15 December 1812 to Moses Levy and Helena Moses. He was educated at Bruce Castle School, after which h ...
, the owner of '' The Sunday Times'', agreed to print the newspaper, and the first edition was published on 29 June 1855. The paper cost 2 d and was four pages long. Nevertheless, the first edition stressed the quality and independence of its articles and journalists: However, the paper was not a success, and Sleigh was unable to pay Levy the printing bill. Levy took over the newspaper, his aim being to produce a cheaper newspaper than his main competitors in London, the '' Daily News'' and ''
The Morning Post ''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''. History The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning Po ...
'', to expand the size of the overall market. Levy appointed his son, Edward Levy-Lawson, Lord Burnham, and
Thornton Leigh Hunt Thornton Leigh Hunt (10 September 1810 – 25 June 1873) was the first editor of the British daily broadsheet newspaper ''The Daily Telegraph''. Life Hunt was the son of the writer Leigh Hunt and his wife Marianne, ''née'' Kent. As a child ...
to edit the newspaper. Lord Burnham relaunched the paper as ''The Daily Telegraph'', with the slogan "the largest, best, and cheapest newspaper in the world". Hunt laid out the newspaper's principles in a memorandum sent to Levy: "We should report all striking events in science, so told that the intelligent public can understand what has happened and can see its bearing on our daily life and our future. The same principle should apply to all other events—to fashion, to new inventions, to new methods of conducting business". In 1876, Jules Verne published his novel ''
Michael Strogoff ''Michael Strogoff: The Courier of the Czar'' (french: Michel Strogoff) is a novel written by Jules Verne in 1876. Critic Leonard S. Davidow, considers it one of Verne's best books. Davidow wrote, "Jules Verne has written no better book than t ...
'', whose plot takes place during a fictional uprising and war in Siberia. Verne included among the book's characters a war correspondent of ''The Daily Telegraph'', named Harry Blount—who is depicted as an exceptionally dedicated, resourceful and brave journalist, taking great personal risks to follow closely the ongoing war and bring accurate news of it to ''The Telegraph''s readership, ahead of competing papers.


1901 to 1945

In 1908,
Kaiser ''Kaiser'' is the German word for " emperor" (female Kaiserin). In general, the German title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (''König''). In English, the (untranslated) word ''Kaiser'' is mainly a ...
Wilhelm II of Germany , house = Hohenzollern , father = Frederick III, German Emperor , mother = Victoria, Princess Royal , religion = Lutheranism (Prussian United) , signature = Wilhelm II, German Emperor Signature-.svg Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor ...
gave a controversial interview to ''The Daily Telegraph'' that severely damaged Anglo-German relations and added to international tensions in the build-up to World War I. In 1928, the son of Baron Burnham, Harry Lawson Webster Levy-Lawson, 2nd Baron Burnham, sold the paper to William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose, in partnership with his brother
Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley James Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley, GBE (7 May 1883 – 6 February 1968) was a Welsh colliery owner and newspaper publisher. Background Berry was born the son of John Mathias and Mary Ann (née Rowe) Berry, of Merthyr Tydfil in Wales. He w ...
and
Edward Iliffe, 1st Baron Iliffe Edward Mauger Iliffe, 1st Baron Iliffe, (17 May 1877 – 25 July 1960) was a British newspaper magnate, public servant and Conservative Member of Parliament. Biography Iliffe was the son of William Isaac Iliffe (1843–1917), a printer and Ju ...
. In 1937, the newspaper absorbed ''
The Morning Post ''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''. History The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning Po ...
'', which traditionally espoused a conservative position and sold predominantly amongst the retired officer class. Originally William Ewart Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose, bought ''The Morning Post'' with the intention of publishing it alongside ''The Daily Telegraph'', but poor sales of the former led him to merge the two. For some years, the paper was retitled ''The Daily Telegraph and Morning Post'' before it reverted to just ''The Daily Telegraph''. In the late 1930s,
Victor Gordon Lennox The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
, ''The Telegraph''s diplomatic editor, published an anti-appeasement private newspaper ''The Whitehall Letter'' that received much of its information from leaks from Sir Robert Vansittart, the Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign Office, and Rex Leeper, the Foreign Office's Press Secretary.Watt, Donald Cameron "Rumors as Evidence" pages 276–286 from ''Russia War, Peace and Diplomacy'' edited by Ljubica & Mark Erickson, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004 page 278. As a result, Gordon Lennox was monitored by MI5. In 1939, The Telegraph published Clare Hollingworth's scoop that Germany was to invade Poland. In November 1940, Fleet Street, with its close proximity to the river and docklands, was subjected to almost daily bombing raids by the Luftwaffe and ''The Telegraph'' started printing in Manchester at Kemsley House (now The Printworks entertainment venue), which was run by Camrose's brother Kemsley. Manchester quite often printed the entire run of ''The Telegraph'' when its Fleet Street offices were under threat. The name Kemsley House was changed to Thomson House in 1959. In 1986, printing of Northern editions of the ''Daily'' and ''Sunday Telegraph'' moved to Trafford Park and in 2008 to Newsprinters at Knowsley, Liverpool. During the Second World War, ''The Daily Telegraph'' covertly helped in the recruitment of code-breakers for
Bletchley Park Bletchley Park is an English country house and estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire) that became the principal centre of Allied code-breaking during the Second World War. The mansion was constructed during the years following 1 ...
. The ability to solve ''The Telegraph''s crossword in under 12 minutes was considered to be a recruitment test. The newspaper was asked to organise a crossword competition, after which each of the successful participants was contacted and asked if they would be prepared to undertake "a particular type of work as a contribution to the war effort". The competition itself was won by F. H. W. Hawes of Dagenham who finished the crossword in less than eight minutes.


1946 to 1985

Both the Camrose (Berry) and Burnham (Levy-Lawson) families remained involved in management until
Conrad Black Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour (born 25 August 1944), is a Canadian-born British former newspaper publisher, businessman, and writer. His father was businessman George Montegu Black II, who had significant holdings in Canad ...
took control in 1986. On the death of his father in 1954, Seymour Berry, 2nd Viscount Camrose assumed the chairmanship of the ''Daily Telegraph'' with his brother Michael Berry, Baron Hartwell as his editor-in-chief. During this period, the company saw the launch of sister paper '' The Sunday Telegraph'' in 1960.


1986 to 2004

Canadian businessman
Conrad Black Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour (born 25 August 1944), is a Canadian-born British former newspaper publisher, businessman, and writer. His father was businessman George Montegu Black II, who had significant holdings in Canad ...
, through companies controlled by him, bought the Telegraph Group in 1986. Black, through his holding company Ravelston Corporation, owned 78% of
Hollinger Inc. Hollinger Inc. was a Canadian media company based in Toronto which was established by businessman Conrad Black. At one time, the company was the third-largest media empire in the world. The company went bankrupt in 2007. History Hollinger Inc. ...
which in turn owned 30% of Hollinger International. Hollinger International in turn owned the Telegraph Group and other publications such as the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the '' Chicag ...
'', the '' Jerusalem Post'' and ''
The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...
''. On 18 January 2004, Black was dismissed as
chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
of the Hollinger International board over allegations of financial wrongdoing. Black was also sued by the company. Later that day, it was reported that the
Barclay brothers Sir David Rowat Barclay (27 October 1934 – 10 January 2021) and Sir Frederick Hugh Barclay (born 27 October 1934), commonly referred to as the "Barclay Brothers" or "Barclay Twins", were British billionaires. They were identical twin brothers ...
had agreed to purchase Black's 78% interest in
Hollinger Inc. Hollinger Inc. was a Canadian media company based in Toronto which was established by businessman Conrad Black. At one time, the company was the third-largest media empire in the world. The company went bankrupt in 2007. History Hollinger Inc. ...
for £245m, giving them a controlling interest in the company, and to buy out the minority shareholders later. However, a lawsuit was filed by the Hollinger International board to try to block Black from selling his shares in Hollinger Inc. until an investigation into his dealings was completed. Black filed a countersuit but, eventually, United States judge Leo Strine sided with the Hollinger International board and blocked Black from selling his Hollinger Inc. shares to the twins. On 7 March 2004, the twins announced that they were launching another bid, this time just for ''The Daily Telegraph'' and its Sunday sister paper rather than all of Hollinger Inc. The then owner of the '' Daily Express'', Richard Desmond, was also interested in purchasing the paper, selling his interest in several pornographic magazines to finance the initiative. Desmond withdrew in March 2004, when the price climbed above £600m, as did Daily Mail and General Trust plc a few months later on 17 June.


Since 2004

In November 2004, ''The Telegraph'' celebrated the tenth anniversary of its website, ''Electronic Telegraph'', now renamed ''www.telegraph.co.uk''. The ''Electronic Telegraph'' launched in 1995 with The Daily Telegraph Guide to the Internet' by writer Sue Schofield for an annual charge of £180.00. On 8 May 2006, the first stage of a major redesign of the website took place, with a wider page layout and greater prominence for audio, video and journalist blogs. On 10 October 2005, ''The Daily Telegraph'' relaunched to incorporate a tabloid sports section and a new standalone business section. '' The Daily Mail''s star columnist and political analyst
Simon Heffer Simon James Heffer (born 18 July 1960) is an English historian, journalist, author and political commentator. He has published several biographies and a series of books on the social history of Great Britain from the mid-nineteenth century unti ...
left that paper in October 2005 to rejoin ''The Daily Telegraph'', where he has become associate editor. Heffer has written two columns a week for the paper since late October 2005 and is a regular contributor to the news podcast. In November 2005 the first regular podcast service by a newspaper in the UK was launched. Just before Christmas 2005, it was announced that ''The Telegraph'' titles would be moving from Canada Place in
Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is an area of London, England, located near the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Canary Wharf is defined by the Greater London Authority as being part of London's central business district, alongside Central Lon ...
, to new offices at Victoria Plaza at 111 Buckingham Palace Road near Victoria Station in central London. The new office features a "hub and spoke" layout for the newsroom to produce content for print and online editions. In October 2006, with its relocation to Victoria, the company was renamed the Telegraph Media Group, repositioning itself as a multimedia company. On 2 September 2008, the ''Daily Telegraph'' was printed with colour on each page for the first time when it left Westferry for Newsprinters at
Broxbourne Broxbourne is a town and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Hoddesdon, in the Broxbourne district, in Hertfordshire, England, north of London, with a population of 15,303 at the 2011 Census.Broxbourne Town population 2011 It is ...
, Hertfordshire, another arm of the Murdoch ( Rupert Murdoch) company. The paper is also printed in Liverpool and Glasgow by Newsprinters. In May 2009, the daily and Sunday editions published details of MPs' expenses. This led to a number of high-profile resignations from both the ruling Labour administration and the Conservative opposition. In June 2014, ''The Telegraph'' was criticised by '' Private Eye'' for its policy of replacing experienced journalists and news managers with less-experienced staff and search engine optimisers. On 26 October 2019, the ''Financial Times'' reported that the Barclay Brothers were about to put the
Telegraph Media Group Telegraph Media Group Limited (TMG; previously the Telegraph Group) is the proprietor of ''The Daily Telegraph'' and ''The Sunday Telegraph''. It is a subsidiary of Press Holdings. David and Frederick Barclay acquired the group on 30 July 2004, af ...
up for sale. The ''Financial Times'' also reported that the Daily Mail and General Trust (owner of the '' Daily Mail'', '' The Mail on Sunday'', '' Metro'' and '' Ireland on Sunday'') would be interested in buying. ''The Daily Telegraph'' supported
Liz Truss Mary Elizabeth Truss (born 26 July 1975) is a British politician who briefly served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022. On her fi ...
in the
July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election The July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election was triggered by Boris Johnson's announcement on 7 July 2022 that he would resign as Leader of the Conservative Party after a series of political controversies. The leadership ele ...
.


Political stance

''The Daily Telegraph'' is politically
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization ...
and has endorsed the Conservative Party at every UK general election since 1945. The personal links between the paper's editors and the leadership of the Conservative Party, along with the paper's generally right-wing stance and influence over Conservative activists, have led the paper commonly to be referred to, especially in '' Private Eye'', as the ''Torygraph''. Even when Conservative support was shown to have slumped in the opinion polls and Labour gained the ascendant, the newspaper remained loyal to the Conservatives. This loyalty continued after Labour ousted the Conservatives from power by an election result in 1997, and in the face of Labour election wins in
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...
and the third successive Labour election win in
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
. When the Barclay brothers purchased the Telegraph Group for around £665m in late June 2004, Sir David Barclay suggested that ''The Daily Telegraph'' might no longer be the "house newspaper" of the
Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization ...
in the future. In an interview with '' The Guardian'' he said, "Where the government are right we shall support them". The editorial board endorsed the Conservative Party in the 2005 general election. During the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, the paper supported the Better Together 'No' Campaign.
Alex Salmond Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond (; born 31 December 1954) is a Scottish politician and economist who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure on the Scottish nationalist movement, he has served as leader o ...
, the former leader of the SNP, called ''The Telegraph'' "extreme" on ''
Question Time A question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (including the prime minister), which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be c ...
'' in September 2015. In the
2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country shoul ...
it endorsed voting to leave the EU. During the 2019 Conservative leadership election, ''The Daily Telegraph'' endorsed their former columnist
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as Fo ...
. In 2019, former columnist Graham Norton, who had left the paper in late 2018, said "about a year before I left, it took a turn" and criticised it for "toxic" political stances, namely for a piece defending
US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
then-nominee
Brett Kavanaugh Brett Michael Kavanaugh ( ; born February 12, 1965) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 9, 2018, and has served since O ...
and for being "a mouthpiece for
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as Fo ...
" whose columns were allegedly published with "no fact-checking at all". It was fined £30,000 in 2015 for "sending an unsolicited email to hundreds of thousands of its subscribers, urging them to vote for the Conservatives."


LGBT+ rights

In 2012, prior to the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom, Telegraph View published an editorial stating that it was a "pointless distraction" as "many ay couplesalready avail themselves of the
civil partnerships A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...
introduced by Labour". ''The Telegraph'' wrote in another editorial that same year that it feared that changing "the law on gay marriage risks inflaming anti-homosexual bigotry". In 2015, the newspaper published an article by former editor Charles Moore claiming a "gay rights sharia" was dictating what the LGBT+ community should believe following Dolce & Gabbana's openly gay founders criticising gay adoptions. Moore wrote that "If you are gay, Mr Strudwick seemed to assert, there are certain things you must believe. Nothing else is permitted under the gay rights sharia." Moore has previously expressed his views that civil partnerships achieved a "balance" for heterosexual and homosexual couples. In 2013, he wrote that "Respectable people are truly terrified of being thought anti-homosexual. In a way, they are right to be, because attacking people for their personal preferences can be a nasty thing." Also in 2015, ''The Telegraph'' published its "Out at Work" list, naming "the top 50 list of LGBT executives". Since then, ''The Telegraph'' appeared to shift towards a more liberal attitude on LGBT+ issues, publishing articles that then- Prime Minister
Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...
needed to be "serious about LGBT equality" and that "bathroom bills" in Texas – which were criticised as being transphobic – were "a
Kafkaesque Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ty ...
state intrusion". The newspaper also featured an article written by Maria Munir about their experience coming out to
President Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
as non-binary. Stonewall CEO Ruth Hunt penned an article in ''The Telegraph'' after the
Orlando nightclub shooting On , 2016, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old man, killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States. Orlando Police officers shot and killed him after a three-hour standoff. In a 9- ...
in June 2016 that the attack on a gay nightclub "grew out of everyday homophobia". Also in 2016, Telegraph Executive Director Lord Black was awarded Peer of the Year at the 2016
PinkNews ''PinkNews'' is a UK-based online newspaper marketed to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT) in the UK and worldwide. It was founded by Benjamin Cohen in 2005. It closely follows political progress on LGBT rights ar ...
Awards for his campaigning on LGBT rights. ''The Telegraph'' has published articles which have been criticised by ''
PinkNews ''PinkNews'' is a UK-based online newspaper marketed to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT) in the UK and worldwide. It was founded by Benjamin Cohen in 2005. It closely follows political progress on LGBT rights ar ...
'' as transphobic. In 2017, the newspaper published an article by Allison Pearson titled: "Will our spineless politicians' love affair with LGBT ever end?", arguing that
NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
patients' being asked their sexual orientation was unnecessary and another in 2018 with the headline: "The tyranny of the transgender minority has got to be stopped".


Sister publications


''The Sunday Telegraph''

''The Daily Telegraph''s sister Sunday paper was founded in 1961. The writer Sir
Peregrine Worsthorne Sir Peregrine Gerard Worsthorne ('' né'' Koch de Gooreynd; 22 December 1923 – 4 October 2020) was a British journalist, writer, and broadcaster. He spent the largest part of his career at the ''Telegraph'' newspaper titles, eventually becom ...
is probably the best known journalist associated with the title (1961–1997), eventually being editor for three years from 1986. In 1989, the Sunday title was briefly merged into a seven-day operation under Max Hastings's overall control. In 2005, the paper was revamped, with Stella being added to the more traditional television and radio section. It costs £2.20 and includes separate Money, Living, Sport and Business supplements. Circulation of ''The Sunday Telegraph'' in July 2010 was 505,214 (ABC).


''The Young Telegraph''

''The Young Telegraph'' was a weekly section of ''The Daily Telegraph'' published as a 14-page supplement in the weekend edition of the newspaper. ''The Young Telegraph'' featured a mixture of news, features, cartoon strips and product reviews aimed at 8–12-year-olds. It was edited by Damien Kelleher (1993–1997) and Kitty Melrose (1997–1999). Launched in 1990, the award-winning supplement also ran original serialised stories featuring popular brands such as ''Young Indiana Jones'' and the British children's sitcom '' Maid Marian and Her Merry Men''. In 1995, an interactive spin-off called ''Electronic Young Telegraph'' was launched on floppy disk. Described as an interactive computer magazine for children, ''Electronic Young Telegraph'' was edited by Adam Tanswell, who led the relaunch of the product on CD-Rom in 1998. ''Electronic Young Telegraph'' featured original content including interactive quizzes, informative features and computer games, as well as entertainment news and reviews. It was later re-branded as ''T:Drive'' in 1999.


Website

Telegraph.co.uk is the online version of the newspaper. It uses the banner title ''The Telegraph'' and includes articles from the print editions of ''The Daily Telegraph'' and ''The Sunday Telegraph'', as well as web-only content such as breaking news, features, picture galleries and blogs. It was named UK Consumer Website of the Year in 2007 and Digital Publisher of the year in 2009 by the Association of Online Publishers. The site is overseen by Kate Day, digital director of Telegraph Media Group. Other staff include Shane Richmond, head of technology (editorial), and Ian Douglas, head of digital production. The site, which has been the focus of the group's efforts to create an integrated news operation producing content for print and online from the same newsroom, completed a relaunch during 2008 involving the use of the Escenic content management system, popular among northern European and Scandinavian newspaper groups. Telegraph TV is a Video on Demand service run by ''The Daily Telegraph'' and the ''Sunday Telegraph''. It is hosted on ''The Telegraph''s website, telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph.co.uk became the most popular UK newspaper site in April 2008. It was overtaken by Guardian.co.uk in April 2009 and later by "Mail Online". As of December 2010, "Telegraph.co.uk" was the third most visited British newspaper website with 1.7 million daily browsers compared to 2.3 million for "Guardian.co.uk" and nearly 3 million for "Mail Online". In November 2012, international customers accessing the Telegraph.co.uk site would have to sign up for a subscription package. Visitors had access to 20 free articles a month before having to subscribe for unlimited access. In March 2013, the pay meter system was also rolled out in the UK.


History

The website was launched, under the name ''electronic telegraph'' at midday on 15 November 1994 at the headquarters of ''The Daily Telegraph'' at
Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is an area of London, England, located near the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Canary Wharf is defined by the Greater London Authority as being part of London's central business district, alongside Central Lon ...
in London Docklands with Ben Rooney as its first editor. It was Europe's first daily web-based newspaper. At this time, the modern internet was still in its infancy, with as few as 10,000 websites estimated to have existed at the time – compared to more than 100 billion by 2009. In 1994, only around 1% of the British population (some 600,000 people) had internet access at home, compared to more than 80% in 2009. Initially, the site published only the top stories from the print edition of the newspaper but it gradually increased its coverage until virtually all of the newspaper was carried online and the website was also publishing original material. The website, hosted on a Sun Microsystems Sparc 20 server and connected via a 64 kbit/s
leased line A leased line is a private telecommunications circuit between two or more locations provided according to a commercial contract. It is sometimes also known as a private circuit, and as a data line in the UK. Typically, leased lines are used by ...
from Demon Internet, was edited by Ben Rooney. Key personnel behind the launch of the site were Matthew Doull and Saul Klein and the then marketing manager of ''The Daily Telegraph'', Hugo Drayton, and the webmaster Fiona Carter. Drayton later became managing director of the newspaper. An early coup for the site was the publication of articles by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard on Bill Clinton and the Whitewater controversy. The availability of the articles online brought a large American audience to the site. In 1997, the Clinton administration issued a 331-page report that accused Evans-Pritchard of peddling "right-wing inventions". Derek Bishton, who by then had succeeded Rooney as editor, later wrote: "In the days before ET it would have been highly unlikely that anyone in the US would have been aware of Evans-Pritchard's work – and certainly not to the extent that the White House would be forced to issue such a lengthy rebuttal." Bishton, who later became consulting editor for Telegraph Media Group, was followed as editor by Richard Burton, who was made redundant in August 2006. Edward Roussel replaced Burton.


''My Telegraph''

''My Telegraph'' offers a platform for readers to have their own blog, save articles, and network with other readers. Launched in May 2007, My Telegraph won a Cross Media Award from international newspaper organisation IFRA in October 2007. One of the judges, Robert Cauthorn, described the project as "the best deployment of blogging yet seen in any newspaper anywhere in the world".


Notable stories

In December 2010, ''Telegraph'' reporters posing as constituents secretly recorded Business Secretary Vince Cable. In an undisclosed part of the transcript given to the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
's
Robert Peston Robert James Kenneth Peston (born 25 April 1960) is an English journalist, presenter, and author. He is the political editor of ITV News and host of the weekly political discussion show '' Peston'' (previously '' Peston on Sunday''). From 2006 ...
by a whistleblower unhappy that ''The Telegraph'' had not published Cable's comments in full, Cable stated in reference to Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation takeover bid for BSkyB, "I have declared war on Mr Murdoch and I think we are going to win." Following this revelation, Cable had his responsibility for media affairs – including ruling on Murdoch's takeover plans – withdrawn from his role as business secretary. In May 2011, the Press Complaints Commission upheld a complaint regarding ''The Telegraph''s use of subterfuge: "On this occasion, the commission was not convinced that the public interest was such as to justify proportionately this level of subterfuge." In July 2011, a firm of private investigators hired by ''The Telegraph'' to track the source of the leak concluded "strong suspicion" that two former Telegraph employees who had moved to News International, one of them Will Lewis, had gained access to the transcript and audio files and leaked them to Peston.


2009 MP expenses scandal

In May 2009, ''The Daily Telegraph'' obtained a full copy of all the expenses claims of British Members of Parliament. The ''Telegraph'' began publishing, in instalments from 8 May 2009, certain MPs' expenses. The ''Telegraph'' justified the publication of the information because it contended that the official information due to be released would have omitted key information about redesignating of second-home nominations. This led to a number of high-profile resignations from both the ruling Labour administration and the Conservative opposition.


2016 Sam Allardyce investigation

In September 2016, ''Telegraph'' reporters posing as businessmen filmed England manager
Sam Allardyce Samuel Allardyce (; born 19 October 1954), colloquially referred to as Big Sam, is an English football manager and former professional player. Allardyce made 578 league and cup appearances in a 21-year career spent mostly in the Football Lea ...
, offering to give advice on how to get around on FA rules on player third party ownership and negotiating a £400,000 deal. The investigation saw Allardyce leave his job by mutual consent on 27 September and making the statement "entrapment has won".


Awards

''The Daily Telegraph'' has been named the '' National Newspaper of the Year'' in 2009, 1996 and 1993, while ''The Sunday Telegraph'' won the same award in 1999. Its investigation on the
2009 expenses scandal The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal that emerged in 2009, concerning expenses claims made by members of the British Parliament in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords over the previous year ...
was named the "Scoop of the Year" in 2009, with
William Lewis William or Willie Lewis may refer to: Politicians * William Lewis (MP for Anglesey) (by 1526–1601 or later), MP for Anglesey in 1553 and 1555 * William Lewis (MP for Helston), MP for Helston in 1584 * William Lewis (MP for King's Lynn) (died 1 ...
winning "Journalist of the Year". The ''Telegraph'' won "Team of the Year" in 2004 for its coverage of the Iraq War. The paper also won "Columnist of the Year" three years' running from 2002 to 2004: Zoë Heller (2002), Robert Harris (2003) and
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as Fo ...
(2004).'' Press Gazette''
Roll of Honour
. Retrieved 24 July 2011.


Charity and fundraising work

In 1979, following a letter in ''The Daily Telegraph'' and a Government report highlighting the shortfall in care available for premature babies,
Bliss BLISS is a system programming language developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) by W. A. Wulf, D. B. Russell, and A. N. Habermann around 1970. It was perhaps the best known system language until C debuted a few years later. Since then, C b ...
, the special care baby charity, was founded. In 2009, as part of the Bliss 30th birthday celebrations, the charity was chosen as one of four beneficiaries of the newspaper's Christmas Charity Appeal. In February 2010, a cheque was presented to Bliss for £120,000. In 2014, ''The Telegraph'' designed a Newspaper-themed
Paddington Bear Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He first appeared on 13 October 1958 in the children's book ''A Bear Called Paddington'' and has been featured in more than twenty books written by British author Michael Bond, ...
statue, one of fifty located around London prior to the release of the film '' Paddington'', which was auctioned to raise funds for the
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity. History Victorian era On a trip to New York in 1881, Liverpudlian businessman Thomas Agnew was inspired by a visit to the New York ...
(NSPCC).


Criticisms


Accusation of news coverage influence by advertisers

In July 2014, the ''Daily Telegraph'' was criticised for carrying links on its website to pro-Kremlin articles supplied by a Russian state-funded publication that downplayed any Russian involvement in the downing of the passenger jet Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. These had featured on its website as part of a commercial deal, but were later removed. The paper is paid £900,000 a year to include the supplement '' Russia Beyond the Headlines'', a publication sponsored by the '' Rossiyskaya Gazeta'', the Russian government's official newspaper. It is paid a further £750,000 a year for a similar arrangement with the Chinese state in relation to the pro-Beijing '' China Watch'' advertising supplement. In February 2015, the chief political commentator of the ''Daily Telegraph'',
Peter Oborne Peter Alan Oborne (; born 11 July 1957) is a British journalist and broadcaster. He is the former chief political commentator of ''The Daily Telegraph'', from which he resigned in early 2015. He is author of ''The Rise of Political Lying'', ''Th ...
, resigned. Oborne accused the paper of a "form of fraud on its readers" for its coverage of the bank
HSBC HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 tri ...
in relation to a Swiss tax-dodging scandal that was widely covered by other news media. He alleged that editorial decisions about news content had been heavily influenced by the advertising arm of the newspaper because of commercial interests. Professor Jay Rosen at New York University stated that Oborne's resignation statement was "one of the most important things a journalist has written about journalism lately". Oborne cited other instances of advertising strategy influencing the content of articles, linking the refusal to take an editorial stance on the repression of democratic demonstrations in Hong Kong to the ''Telegraph'' support from China. Additionally, he said that favourable reviews of the Cunard cruise liner '' Queen Mary II'' appeared in the ''Telegraph'', noting: "On 10 May last year ''The Telegraph'' ran a long feature on Cunard's Queen Mary II liner on the news review page. This episode looked to many like a plug for an advertiser on a page normally dedicated to serious news analysis. I again checked and certainly ''Telegraph'' competitors did not view Cunard's liner as a major news story. Cunard is an important ''Telegraph'' advertiser." In response, the ''Telegraph'' called Oborne's statement an "astonishing and unfounded attack, full of inaccuracy and innuendo". Later that month, ''Telegraph'' editor Chris Evans invited journalists at the newspaper to contribute their thoughts on the issue. '' Press Gazette'' reported later in 2015 that Oborne had joined the '' Daily Mail'' tabloid newspaper and ''The Telegraph'' had "issued new guidelines over the way editorial and commercial staff work together". In January 2017, the Telegraph Media Group had a higher number of upheld complaints than any other UK newspaper by its regulator IPSO. Most of these findings pertained to inaccuracy, as with other UK newspapers. In October 2017, a number of major western news organisations whose coverage had irked Beijing were excluded from
Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, si ...
's speech event launching a new politburo. However, the ''Daily Telegraph'' had been granted an invitation to the event. In April 2019, '' Business Insider'' reported ''The Telegraph'' had partnered with Facebook to publish articles "downplaying 'technofears' and praising the company".


Premature obituaries

The paper published premature obituaries for Cockie Hoogterp, the second wife of Baron Blixen,McKie, Andrew (30 August 2001)
"The day I managed to 'kill off' Tex Ritter's wife"
. ''The Daily Telegraph'' (London).
Dave Swarbrick in 1999, and Dorothy Southworth Ritter, the widow of Tex Ritter and mother of John Ritter, in August 2001.


Accusation of antisemitism

Editors for both the ''Daily Telegraph'' and the '' Sunday Telegraph'' have been criticised by ''Guardian'' columnist Owen Jones for publishing and authoring articles which espouse an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. In 2018, Allister Heath, the editor of the '' Sunday Telegraph'' wrote that "Cultural Marxism is running rampant." Assistant comment editor of the ''Daily Telegraph'', Sherelle Jacobs, also used the term in 2019. ''The Daily Telegraph'' also published an anonymous civil servant who stated: "There is a strong presence of Anglophobia, combined with cultural Marxism that runs through the civil service."


Islamic extremism and scout groups

In January 2019, the paper published an article written by Camilla Tominey titled "Police called in after Scout group run from mosque is linked to Islamic extremist and Holocaust denier" in which it was reported that the police were investigating Ahammed Hussain, the Leader of the Scout Group at the Lewisham Islamic Centre, because he had links to extremist Muslim groups that promoted terrorism and antisemitism. In January 2020, the paper issued an official apology and accepted that the article contained many falsehoods, and that Hussain had never supported or promoted terrorism, or been anti-Semitic. The paper paid Hussain damages and costs. In their apology they said: "The article was published by our client following receipt of information in good faith from the Scout Association and the Henry Jackson Society; nevertheless our client now accepts that the article (using that expression to refer to both print and online versions) is defamatory of your client and will apologise to him for publishing it."


China Watch

In 2016, the
Hong Kong Free Press Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) is a free, non-profit news website based in Hong Kong. It was co-founded in 2015 by Tom Grundy, who believed that the territory's press freedom was in decline, to provide an alternative to the dominant English-languag ...
reported that ''The Daily Telegraph'' was receiving £750,000 annually to carry a supplement called 'China Watch' as part of a commercial deal with Chinese state-run newspaper '' China Daily''. ''The Telegraph'' published the supplement once a month in print, and published it online at least until March 2020. As of April 2020, ''The Telegraph'' appeared to have removed China Watch from its website, along with another advertisement feature section by a Chinese state-run media outlet titled "People's Daily Online". This followed the People's Daily Online section carrying misinformation about COVID-19, including claims that traditional Chinese medicine could help fight the virus. '' The Guardian'' reported in 2018 that the China Watch newspaper supplement was being carried by ''The Telegraph'' along with other newspapers of record such as '' The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal'' and '' Le Figaro''.


COVID-19 misinformation

In January 2021 British press regulator, the Independent Press Standards Organisation ordered ''The Daily Telegraph'' to publish corrections for a "significantly misleading" article published by Toby Young in July 2020 article "When we have herd immunity Boris will face a reckoning on this pointless and damaging lockdown" which spread
COVID-19 misinformation False information, including intentional disinformation and conspiracy theories, about the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic and the origin, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease has been spread through social media, text messagi ...
that the common cold provided "natural immunity" to COVID-19 and that London was "probably approaching herd immunity".


Climate change denialism and misinformation

''The Telegraph'' has published multiple columns and news articles which promote pseudoscientific views on climate change, and misleadingly cast the subject of climate change as a subject of active scientific debate when there is a
scientific consensus on climate change There is a strong scientific consensus that the Earth is warming and that this warming is mainly caused by human activities. This consensus is supported by various studies of scientists' opinions and by position statements of scientific org ...
. It has published columns about the "conspiracy behind the Anthropogenic Global Warming myth", described climate scientists as "white-coated prima donnas and narcissists," and claimed that "global warming causes about as much damage as benefits." In 2015, a ''Telegraph'' news article falsely claimed that scientists predicted a mini-ice age by 2030. Climate change denying journalist James Delingpole was first to use " Climategate" on his ''Telegraph'' blog for a manufactured controversy where emails were leaked from climate scientists ahead of the Copenhagen climate summit and misleadingly presented to give the appearance that the climate scientists were engaged in fraud. In 2014, ''The Telegraph'' was one of several media titles to give evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee 'Communicating climate science'. The paper told MPs they believe climate change is happening and humans play a role in it. Editors told the committee, "we believe that the climate is changing, that the reason for that change includes human activity, but that human ingenuity and adaptability should not be ignored in favour of economically damaging prescriptions."


Dominic Cummings comments

In July 2021, Prime Minister
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as Fo ...
's former chief advisor,
Dominic Cummings Dominic Mckenzie Cummings (born 25 November 1971) is a British political strategist who served as Chief Adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson from 24 July 2019 until Cummings resigned on 13 November 2020. From 2007 to 2014, he was a ...
, said that Johnson had always referred to ''The Telegraph'' (and not the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
public) as his "Real Boss".


Owen Paterson

''The Daily Telegraph'', in particular its columnist and former editor Charles Moore, were staunch supporters of Owen Paterson, a former MP and minister who resigned after it was found that he had breached advocacy rules to lobby ministers for fees. A plan to overhaul the
Commons The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons c ...
standard and spare Paterson from being suspended and a possible recall petition that follows was leaked to the newspaper and it was "approvingly" splashed across the paper's front page. Boris Johnson flew back from the
COP 26 The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP26, was the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, from 31 October to 13 November 2021. The ...
summit in Glasgow to attend a ''Telegraph'' journalists' reunion at the Garrick and was seen to leave the club with Moore the same evening.


Notable people


Editors


Notable columnists and journalists

* Katharine Birbalsingh, columnist *
Jamie Carragher James Lee Duncan Carragher (; born 28 January 1978) is an English football pundit and former footballer who played as a defender for Premier League club Liverpool during a career which spanned 17 years. A one-club man, he was Liverpool's v ...
, columnist * Dia Chakravarty, columnist *
Robbie Collin Robbie Collin is a British film critic. Collin studied aesthetics and the philosophy of film at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. He edited the university's student newspaper, '' The Saint''. Collin has been the chief film critic at ''The D ...
, film critic * Michael Deacon, columnist * David Eimer, foreign correspondent * William Hague, columnist *
Simon Heffer Simon James Heffer (born 18 July 1960) is an English historian, journalist, author and political commentator. He has published several biographies and a series of books on the social history of Great Britain from the mid-nineteenth century unti ...
, columnist * Roger Highfield, former science editor *
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as Fo ...
, former political columnist * Herbert Hughes, music critic, 1911–1932 * Anthony Loyd, one-time war correspondent * Charles Moore, columnist * Anne-Elisabeth Moutet, columnist * Andrew Orlowski, business and technology columnist * J. H. B. Peel, columnist * Peter Simple, the pseudonym of Michael Wharton, who wrote a humorous column, "Way of the World", from 1957 to 2006. * Serena Sinclair, former fashion editor * Mark Steyn, former columnist * Zoe Strimpel, lifestyle columnist *
Norman Tebbit Norman Beresford Tebbit, Baron Tebbit (born 29 March 1931) is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet from 1981 to 1987 as Secretary of State for Employment (1981–1983), Secretary of State for Trad ...
, columnist *
Auberon Waugh Auberon Alexander Waugh (17 November 1939 – 16 January 2001) was an English journalist and novelist, and eldest son of the novelist Evelyn Waugh. He was widely known by his nickname "Bron". After a traditional classical education at Downside ...
, a previous columnist


See also

* List of the oldest newspapers *
History of newspapers and magazines The history of journalism spans the growth of technology and trade, marked by the advent of specialized techniques for gathering and disseminating information on a regular basis that has caused, as one history of journalism surmises, the steady ...
*
Newspaper of record A newspaper of record is a major national newspaper with large circulation whose editorial and news-gathering functions are considered authoritative and independent; they are thus "newspapers of record by reputation" and include some of the o ...


References


Further reading

* Burnham, E. F. L. (1955). ''Peterborough Court: the story of the Daily Telegraph''. Cassell. * Merrill, John C. and Harold A. Fisher. ''The world's great dailies: profiles of fifty newspapers'' (1980) pp. 111–16. * ''The House The Berrys Built'' by Duff Hart-Davis. Concerns the history of ''The Daily Telegraph from its inception to 1986. Illustrated with references and illustrations of William Ewart Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose (later called Lord Camrose). * ''William Camrose: Giant of Fleet Street'' by his son Lord Hartwell. Illustrated biography with black-and-white photographic plates and includes an index. Concerns his links with ''The Daily Telegraph''.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Daily Telegraph, The 1855 establishments in England Conservative media in the United Kingdom Daily newspapers published in the United Kingdom National newspapers published in the United Kingdom Newspapers established in 1855 Newspapers published in London Telegraph Media Group