''The Tart'' was a free

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

-based

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

newspaper, and later an online webzine.

History

The precursor of ''The Tart'' was a

Bristol University , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

newspaper edited by Tobes Kelly in the first six months of 2007. ''The Tart'' was set up as a response to a perceived lack of variety in the student newspaper market, and Kelly's desire to revive student

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

through enabling and encouraging students to collaborate regardless of university campus borders. The Tart's tone was

, and has been described as "tolerant, witty and parodying the folly of those in the public eye". The newspaper was part of the TartMedia Group, which is owned by Kelly. A website was established in August 2007, and ''The Tart'' was distributed across ten university campuses during termtime in late 2007, including

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, Warwick University and

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

. After receiving a positive response from trial distributions to London commuters, the decision was taken to move out of the student market. After securing significant funding, ''The Tart'' launched for London commuters in January 2008, and enjoyed a brief run in the capital, at a time when other now-defunct London freesheets such as

London Lite ''London Lite'' was the trading name of a British free daily newspaper, published by Associated Newspapers (part of Daily Mail and General Trust), and now defunct. It was available Monday to Friday afternoons and evenings from street distributors ...

and thelondonpaper were also distributed as part of a brief "old-fashioned newspaper war". The paper's income was affected by the economic downturn, and midway through 2008, ''The Tart'' decided to focus on an online webzine. In summer 2008, it relaunched with a new website and editorial team. The website closed in June 2009.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tart British satirical websites London newspapers Satirical magazines published in the United Kingdom Newspapers established in 2007 Magazines established in 2007 Student newspapers published in the United Kingdom 2007 in London 2007 establishments in England Free newspapers