''First News'' is a
UK newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...
for young readers. It is published in a full colour
tabloid format every Friday, and aims to present current events and politics in a child-friendly format, alongside news on entertainment, sport and computer games. The paper is aimed at seven to fourteen-year-olds, and regularly features written work from readers of that age. The paper's weekly circulation in 2017 was 79,362.
''First News'' was founded by Sarah and Steve Thomson and launched by editor
Nicky Cox, with
Piers Morgan
Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (; né O'Meara; born 30 March 1965) is a British broadcaster, journalist, writer, and television personality. He began his Fleet Street career in 1988 at ''The Sun (United Kingdom), The Sun''. In 1994, aged 29, he was ...
as editorial director, in May 2006 at
11 Downing Street
11 Downing Street (sometimes referred to as just Number 11) is the official residence of Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer (who traditionally also has the title of Second Lord of the Treasury). The residence, in Downing Street in London, ...
, the official residence of the UK's
Chancellor of the Exchequer.
[Alt URL]
/ref> The first issues were priced at £1, with 5 per cent of proceeds benefiting children's charities.
From 2006, the paper was published by First News (UK) Ltd, an independently financed publishing house established in January 2006. In February 2018, First News (UK) Ltd was renamed First Group Enterprises. Following the name change, the company went on to launch two new products: First Wonder Box and First Careers. The first, a subscription box for ages four to eight; the latter, a careers guidance website. The management team of First Group Enterprises is composed of newspaper editor Cox, former editorial director of BBC Children's Magazines, with a steering role from the Thomsons, who were investors.
As of 2018, ''First News'' began leading the annual Takeover Challenge event. Formally an initiative by the Children's Commissioner for England
The Office of the Children's Commissioner for England is a non-departmental public body in England responsible for promoting and protecting the rights of children as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well ...
, the event is designed to allow children and young people the opportunity to "gain experience of a workplace, while organisations benefit from a fresh perspective on their work."
Educational usage
In 2015, First News commissioned the National Literacy Trust
The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity (registered no. 1116260 in England and Wales and registered no. SCO42944 in Scotland) based in London, England, that promotes literacy.
It was founded by Sir Simon Hornby, former chairman of th ...
to evaluate the use of a children's newspaper in the classroom and its benefit to reading comprehension. The evaluation found that children's reading progressed significantly over the eight-week period of activity, and reported reading more widely (particularly non-fiction) after having taken part in the activity.
First News launched a digital literacy platform, with content based on the weekly newspaper in 2016. Named the 'First News iHub', the platform received the BETT Award for Primary Digital Content in 2017
References
External links
* {{official, http://www.firstnews.co.uk/
*
First News iHub
'
''First News'' on YouTube
''First News'' on Twitter
National newspapers published in the United Kingdom
Publications established in 2006
Weekly newspapers published in the United Kingdom
21st-century British children's literature
2006 establishments in the United Kingdom