The Sunday Times (UK)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's
quality press The quality press or the qualities are those British newspapers in national circulation distinguished by their seriousness. The category used to be called "broadsheet" until several papers adopted a tabloid printing format. Both ''The Times'' an ...
market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of
News UK News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher of ...
, which is owned by News Corp. Times Newspapers also publishes ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
''. The two papers were founded independently and have been under common ownership since 1966. They were bought by News International in 1981. ''The Sunday Times'' has a circulation of just over 650,000, which exceeds that of its main rivals, including ''The'' ''Sunday Telegraph'' and ''The'' ''Observer'', combined. While some other national newspapers moved to a
tabloid format A tabloid is a newspaper with a compact page size smaller than broadsheet. There is no standard size for this newspaper format. Etymology The word ''tabloid'' comes from the name given by the London-based pharmaceutical company Burroughs We ...
in the early 2000s, ''The Sunday Times'' has retained the larger broadsheet format and has said that it would continue to do so. As of December 2019, it sells 75% more copies than its sister paper, ''The Times'', which is published from Monday to Saturday. The paper publishes ''The Sunday Times'' Rich List and ''The Sunday Times'' Fast Track 100.


History


Founding and early history (1821–1915)

The paper began publication on 18 February 1821 as ''The New Observer'', but from 21 April its title was changed to the ''Independent Observer''. Its founder, Henry White, chose the name in an apparent attempt to take advantage of the success of the ''Observer'', which had been founded in 1791, although there was no connection between the two papers. On 20 October 1822 it was reborn as ''The Sunday Times'', although it had no relationship with ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
''. In January 1823, White sold the paper to Daniel Whittle Harvey, a radical politician. Under its new owner, ''The Sunday Times'' notched up several firsts: a wood engraving it published of the coronation of
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
in 1838 was the largest illustration to have appeared in a British newspaper. In 1841, it became one of the first papers to serialise a novel:
William Harrison Ainsworth William Harrison Ainsworth (4 February 18053 January 1882) was an English historical novelist born at King Street in Manchester. He trained as a lawyer, but the legal profession held no attraction for him. While completing his legal studies in ...
's ''Old St Paul's''. The paper was bought in 1887 by
Alice Anne Cornwell Alice Ann Cornwell (1 January 1852 – 7 January 1932) was a British goldmining industrialist and newspaper proprietor. She made her fortune from gold and floated her company on the London Stock Exchange. She was a confident business person inves ...
who had made a fortune in mining in Australia and floating the Midas Mine Company of the London Stock Exchange. She bought the paper to promote her new company, The British and Australasian Mining Investment Company, and as a gift to her lover Frederick Stannard (‘Phil’) Robinson. Robinson was installed as editor and the two were later married in 1894. She then sold it in 1893 to Frederick Beer, who already owned ''
Observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Computer science and information theory * In information theory, any system which receives information from an object * State observer in co ...
''. Beer appointed his wife,
Rachel Sassoon Beer Rachel Beer (''née'' Sassoon; 7 April 1858 – 29 April 1927) was an Indian-born British newspaper editor. She was editor-in-chief of ''The Observer'' and ''The Sunday Times''. Early life Rachel Sassoon was born in Bombay to Sassoon David Sas ...
, as editor. She was already editor of ''
Observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Computer science and information theory * In information theory, any system which receives information from an object * State observer in co ...
'' – the first woman to run a national newspaper – and continued to edit both titles until 1901.


The Kemsley years (1915–59)

There was a further change of ownership in 1903, and then in 1915 the paper was bought by William Berry and his brother, Gomer Berry, later ennobled as Lord Camrose and
Viscount Kemsley Viscount Kemsley, of Dropmore in Buckingham county, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1945 for the press lord Gomer Berry, 1st Baron Kemsley. He had already been created a Baronet, of Dropmore in the County of ...
respectively. Under their ownership, ''The Sunday Times'' continued its reputation for innovation: on 23 November 1930, it became the first Sunday newspaper to publish a 40-page issue and on 21 January 1940, news replaced advertising on the front page. In 1943, the Kemsley Newspapers Group was established, with ''The Sunday Times'' becoming its flagship paper. At this time, Kemsley was the largest newspaper group in Britain. On 12 November 1945, Ian Fleming, who later created
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
, joined the paper as foreign manager (foreign editor) and special writer. The following month, circulation reached 500,000. On 28 September 1958, the paper launched a separate Review section, becoming the first newspaper to publish two sections regularly.


The Thomson years (1959–81)

In 1959, the Kemsley group was bought by
Lord Thomson Christopher Birdwood Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson, (13 April 1875 – 5 October 1930) was a British Army officer who went on to serve as a Labour minister and peer. He served as Secretary of State for Air under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and betw ...
, and in October 1960 circulation reached one million for the first time. In another first, on 4 February 1962 the editor, Denis Hamilton, launched ''
The Sunday Times Magazine ''The Sunday Times Magazine'' is a magazine included with ''The Sunday Times''. In 1962 it became the first colour supplement to be published as a supplement to a UK newspaper, and its arrival "broke the mould of weekend newspaper publishing". ...
''. (At the insistence of newsagents, worried at the impact on sales of standalone magazines, it was initially called the "colour section" and did not take the name ''
The Sunday Times Magazine ''The Sunday Times Magazine'' is a magazine included with ''The Sunday Times''. In 1962 it became the first colour supplement to be published as a supplement to a UK newspaper, and its arrival "broke the mould of weekend newspaper publishing". ...
'' until 9 August 1964.) The cover picture of the first issue was of
Jean Shrimpton Jean Rosemary Shrimpton (born 7 November 1942) is an English model and actress. She was an icon of Swinging London and is considered to be one of the world's first supermodels. She appeared on numerous magazine covers including ''Vogue,'' ''Har ...
wearing a
Mary Quant Dame Barbara Mary Quant, Mrs Plunket Greene, (born 11 February 1930)The Mary Quant exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2019-20 stated her year of birth as 1930, and that she became a student at Goldsmiths College around 1950. is a ...
outfit and was taken by David Bailey. The magazine got off to a slow start, but the advertising soon began to pick up, and, over time, other newspapers launched magazines of their own. In 1963, the
Insight Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect within a particular context. The term insight can have several related meanings: *a piece of information *the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of seeing intui ...
investigative team was established under Clive Irving. On 27 September 1964, the ''Business'' section was launched, making ''The Sunday Times'' Britain's first regular three-section newspaper. In September 1966, Thomson bought ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'', to form
Times Newspapers Ltd News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher o ...
(TNL). It was the first time both ''The Sunday Times'' and ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' had been brought under the same ownership.
Harold Evans Sir Harold Matthew Evans (28 June 192823 September 2020) was a British-American journalist and writer. In his career in his native Britain, he was editor of ''The Sunday Times'' from 1967 to 1981, and its sister title ''The Times'' for a year f ...
, editor from 1967 until 1981, established ''The Sunday Times'' as a leading campaigning and investigative newspaper. On 19 May 1968, the paper published its first major campaigning report on the drug
Thalidomide Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is a medication used to treat a number of cancers (including multiple myeloma), graft-versus-host disease, and a number of skin conditions including complications o ...
, which had been reported by the Australian doctor William McBride in ''
The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823. The journal publishes original research articles, ...
'' in 1961 as associated with birth defects, and quickly withdrawn. The newspaper published a four-page
Insight Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect within a particular context. The term insight can have several related meanings: *a piece of information *the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of seeing intui ...
investigation, entitled ''The Thalidomide File'', in the ''Weekly Review'' section. A compensation settlement for the UK victims was eventually reached with
Distillers Company The Distillers Company Limited was a leading Scottish drinks and pharmaceutical company and, at one time, a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It was taken over by Guinness & Co. (now part of Diageo) in 1986 in a transaction which was later ...
(now part of Diageo), which had distributed the drug in the UK. TNL was plagued by a series of industrial disputes at its plant at Gray's Inn Road in London, with the print unions resisting attempts to replace the old-fashioned hot-metal and labour-intensive Linotype method with technology that would allow the papers to be composed digitally. Thomson offered to invest millions of pounds to buy out obstructive practices and overmanning, but the unions rejected every proposal. As a result, publication of ''The Sunday Times'' and other titles in the group was suspended in November 1978. It did not resume until November 1979. Although journalists at ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' had been on full pay during the suspension, they went on strike demanding more money after production was resumed.
Kenneth Thomson Kenneth Roy Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet (September 1, 1923 – June 12, 2006), known in Canada as Ken Thomson, was a Canadian/British businessman and art collector. At the time of his death, he was listed by ''Forbes'' as the richest per ...
, the head of the company, felt betrayed and decided to sell. Evans tried to organise a management buyout of ''The Sunday Times'', but Thomson decided instead to sell to
Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...
, who he thought had a better chance of dealing with the trade unions.


The Murdoch years (1981–present)

Murdoch's News International acquired the group in February 1981. Murdoch, an Australian who in 1985 became a naturalised American citizen, already owned '' The Sun'' and the '' News of the World'', but the Conservative government decided not to refer the deal to the
Monopolies and Mergers Commission The Competition Commission was a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under competition law in the United Kingdom. It was a competition regulator unde ...
, citing a clause in the Fair Trading Act that exempted uneconomic businesses from referral.
The Thomson Corporation The Thomson Corporation was one of the world's largest information companies. It was established in 1989 following a merger between International Thomson Organisation Ltd (ITOL) and Thomson Newspapers. In 2008, it purchased Reuters Group to fo ...
had threatened to close the papers down if they were not taken over by someone else within an allotted time, and it was feared that any legal delay to Murdoch's takeover might lead to the two titles' demise. In return, Murdoch provided legally binding guarantees to preserve the titles' editorial independence. Evans was appointed editor of ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' in February 1981 and was replaced at ''The Sunday Times'' by Frank Giles. In 1983, the newspaper bought the serialisation rights to publish the faked ''
Hitler Diaries The Hitler Diaries (german: Hitler-Tagebücher) were a series of sixty volumes of journals purportedly written by Adolf Hitler, but forged by Konrad Kujau between 1981 and 1983. The diaries were purchased in 1983 for 9.3 million Deutsche ...
'', thinking them to be genuine after they were authenticated by the own newspaper's own independent director,
Hugh Trevor-Roper Hugh Redwald Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton (15 January 1914 – 26 January 2003) was an English historian. He was Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford. Trevor-Roper was a polemicist and essayist on a range of ...
, the historian and author of ''The Last Days of Hitler''. Under
Andrew Neil Andrew Ferguson Neil (born 21 May 1949) is a Scottish former journalist and broadcaster who is chairman of ''The Spectator'' and presenter of '' The Andrew Neil Show'' on Channel 4. He was editor of ''The Sunday Times'' from 1983 to 1994. He f ...
, editor from 1983 until 1994, ''The Sunday Times'' took a strongly
Thatcherite Thatcherism is a form of British conservative ideology named after Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher that relates to not just her political platform and particular policies but also her personal character and general style of manag ...
slant that contrasted with the traditional paternalistic conservatism expounded by Peregrine Worsthorne at the rival '' Sunday Telegraph''. It also built on its reputation for investigations. Its scoops included the revelation in 1986 that
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
had manufactured more than 100 nuclear warheads and the publication in 1992 of extracts from Andrew Morton's book, ''Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words''. In the early 1990s, the paper courted controversy with a series of articles in which it rejected the role of HIV in causing AIDS. In January 1986, after the announcement of a
strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
by print workers, production of ''The Sunday Times'', along with other newspapers in the group, was shifted to a new plant in Wapping, and the strikers were dismissed. The plant, which allowed journalists to input copy directly, was activated with the help of the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union (EETPU). The print unions posted pickets and organised demonstrations outside the new plant to try to dissuade journalists and others from working there, in what became known as the Wapping Dispute. The demonstrations sometimes turned violent. The protest ended in failure in February 1987. During Neil's editorship, a number of new sections were added: the annual ''The Sunday Times'' Rich List and the Funday Times, in 1989, (the latter stopped appearing in print and was relaunched as a standalone website in March 2006, but was later closed); Style & Travel, News Review and Arts in 1990, and Culture in 1992. In September 1994, Style and Travel became two separate sections. During Neil's time as editor, ''The Sunday Times'' backed a campaign to prove that
HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
was not a cause of AIDS.Ben Summerskil
"Paper tiger"
''The Observer'', 28 July 2002
In 1990, ''The Sunday Times'' serialized a book by an American conservative who rejected the scientific consensus on the causes of AIDS and argued that AIDS could not spread to heterosexuals. Articles and editorials in ''The Sunday Times'' cast doubt on the scientific consensus, described HIV as a "politically correct virus" about which there was a "conspiracy of silence," disputed that AIDS was spreading in Africa, claimed that tests for HIV were invalid, described the HIV/AIDS treatment drug AZT as harmful, and characterized the WHO as an "Empire-building AIDS rganisation" The pseudoscientific coverage of HIV/AIDS in ''the Sunday Times'' led the scientific journal ''Nature'' to monitor the newspaper's coverage and to publish letters rebutting ''Sunday Times'' articles which ''the Sunday Times'' refused to publish. In response to this, ''the Sunday Times'' published an article headlined "AIDS - why we won’t be silenced", which claimed that ''Nature'' engaged in censorship and "sinister intent". In his 1996 book, ''Full Disclosure'', Neil wrote that the HIV/AIDS denialism "deserved publication to encourage debate." That same year, he wrote that ''the Sunday Times'' had been vindicated in its coverage, "The Sunday Times was one of a handful of newspapers, perhaps the most prominent, which argued that heterosexual Aids was a myth. The figures are now in and this newspaper stands totally vindicated... The history of Aids is one of the great scandals of our time. I do not blame doctors and the Aids lobby for warning that everybody might be at risk in the early days, when ignorance was rife and reliable evidence scant." He criticized the "AIDS establishment" and said "Aids had become an industry, a job-creation scheme for the caring classes." John Witherow, who became editor at the end of 1994 (after several months as acting editor), continued the newspaper's expansion. A website was launched in 1996 and new print sections added: Home in 2001, and Driving in 2002, which in 2006 was renamed InGear. (It reverted to the name Driving from 7 October 2012, to coincide with the launch of a new standalone website, Sunday Times Driving.) Technology coverage was expanded in 2000 with the weekly colour magazine Doors, and in 2003 The Month, an editorial section presented as an interactive CD-Rom. Magazine partworks were regular additions, among them 1000 Makers of Music, published over six weeks in 1997. John Witherow oversaw a rise in circulation to 1.3 million and reconfirmed ''The Sunday Times's'' reputation for publishing hard-hitting news stories – such as Cash for Questions in 1994 and
Cash for Honours The Cash-for-Honours scandal (also known as Cash for Peerages, Loans for Lordships, Loans for Honours or Loans for Peerages) was a political scandal in the United Kingdom in 2006 and 2007 concerning the connection between political donations an ...
in 2006, and revelations of corruption at Fifa in 2010. The newspaper's foreign coverage has been especially strong, and its reporters,
Marie Colvin Marie Catherine Colvin (January 12, 1956 – February 22, 2012) was an American journalist who worked as a foreign affairs correspondent for the British newspaper '' The Sunday Times'' from 1985 until her death. She died while covering the siege ...
,
Jon Swain Jon (John) Anketell Brewer Swain (born 1948) is a British journalist and writer. Swain's book ''River of Time: A Memoir of Vietnam '' chronicles his experiences from 1970 to 1975 during the war in Indochina, including the fall of Cambodia. Ea ...
, Hala Jaber, Mark Franchetti and Christina Lamb have dominated the Foreign Reporter of the Year category at the British Press Awards since 2000. Colvin, who worked for the paper from 1985, was killed in February 2012 by Syrian forces while covering the
siege of Homs The siege of Homs was a military confrontation between the Syrian military and the Syrian opposition in the city of Homs, a major rebel stronghold during the Syrian Civil War. The siege lasted three years from May 2011 to May 2014, and result ...
during that country's civil war. In common with other newspapers, ''The Sunday Times'' has been hit by a fall in circulation, which has declined from a peak of 1.3 million to just over 710,000. It has a number of digital-only subscribers, which numbered 99,017 by January 2019. During January 2013,
Martin Ivens Martin Paul Ivens (born 29 August 1958) is an English journalist and editor of ''The Times Literary Supplement''. He is a former editor of ''The Sunday Times''. Early life Ivens, who was born in Hampstead in North London, is the son of Michael Iv ...
became 'acting' editor of ''The Sunday Times'' in succession to John Witherow, who became the 'acting' editor of ''The Times'' at the same time. The independent directors rejected a permanent position for Ivens as editor to avoid any possible merger of ''The Sunday Times'' and daily ''Times'' titles.Katherine Rushto
"John Witherow named acting editor of The Times as News International eyes merger"
''The Daily Telegraph'', 18 January 2013


Online presence

''The Sunday Times'' has its own website. It previously shared an online presence with ''The Times'', but in May 2010 they both launched their own sites to reflect their distinct brand identities. Since July 2010, the sites are charging for access. An iPad edition was launched in December 2010, and an Android version in August 2011. Since July 2012, the digital version of the paper has been available on Apple's Newsstand platform, allowing automated downloading of the news section. With over 500 MB of content every week, it is the biggest newspaper app in the world. ''The Sunday Times'' iPad app was named newspaper app of the year at the 2011 Newspaper Awards and has twice been ranked best newspaper or magazine app in the world by iMonitor. Various subscription packages exist, giving access to both the print and digital versions of the paper. On 2 October 2012, ''The Sunday Times'' launched Sunday Times Driving, a separate classified advertising site for premium vehicles that also includes editorial content from the newspaper as well as specially commissioned articles. It can be accessed without cost.


Related publications


''The Sunday Times Travel Magazine''

This 164-page monthly magazine is sold separately from the newspaper and is Britain's best-selling travel magazine. The first issue of ''
The Sunday Times Travel Magazine ''The Sunday Times Travel Magazine'' was a monthly British travel magazine. Although part of the same company (News UK) as the weekly The Sunday Times travel section, its content was entirely different. The magazine published travel information, fe ...
'' was in 2003, and it includes news, features and insider guides.


Notable stories

Some of the more notable or controversial stories published in ''The Sunday Times'' include: *
Thalidomide Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is a medication used to treat a number of cancers (including multiple myeloma), graft-versus-host disease, and a number of skin conditions including complications o ...
, a drug prescribed to pregnant women to treat morning sickness, was withdrawn in 1961 following reports that it was linked to a number of birth defects. ''The Sunday Times'' spent many years campaigning for compensation for the victims, providing case studies and evidence of the side-effects. In 1968, the Distillers Company agreed to a multimillion-pound compensation scheme for the victims. * The paper sponsored
Francis Chichester Sir Francis Charles Chichester KBE (17 September 1901 – 26 August 1972) was a British businessman, pioneering aviator and solo sailor. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for becoming the first person to sail single-handed around the worl ...
's single-handed circumnavigation of the world under sail in 1966–67, and the ''Sunday Times'' Golden Globe Race in 1968–69. * The Insight team ran an investigation into
Kim Philby Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby (1 January 191211 May 1988) was a British intelligence officer and a double agent for the Soviet Union. In 1963 he was revealed to be a member of the Cambridge Five, a spy ring which had divulged British secr ...
, the Soviet double agent, that ran on 1 October 1967 under the headline ''"Philby: I spied for Russia from 1933."'' * Insight carried out a major investigation in 1972 into
Bloody Sunday Bloody Sunday may refer to: Historical events Canada * Bloody Sunday (1923), a day of police violence during a steelworkers' strike for union recognition in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia * Bloody Sunday (1938), police violence aga ...
in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. * The newspaper published the faked ''
Hitler Diaries The Hitler Diaries (german: Hitler-Tagebücher) were a series of sixty volumes of journals purportedly written by Adolf Hitler, but forged by Konrad Kujau between 1981 and 1983. The diaries were purchased in 1983 for 9.3 million Deutsche ...
'' (1983), believing them to be genuine after they were authenticated by historian
Hugh Trevor-Roper Hugh Redwald Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton (15 January 1914 – 26 January 2003) was an English historian. He was Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford. Trevor-Roper was a polemicist and essayist on a range of ...
. * Israeli nuclear weapons: using information from
Mordechai Vanunu Mordechai Vanunu ( he, מרדכי ואנונו; born 14 October 1952), also known as John Crossman, is an Israeli former nuclear technician and peace activist who, citing his opposition to weapons of mass destruction, revealed details of Israe ...
, ''The Sunday Times'' in 1986 revealed that
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
had manufactured more than 100 nuclear warheads. * On 12 July 1987 ''The Sunday Times'' began serialisation of the book '' Spycatcher'', the memoirs of an
MI5 The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...
agent, which had been banned in Britain. The paper successfully challenged subsequent legal action by the British government, winning its case at the
European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that ...
in 1991. * The paper ran a story claiming Queen Elizabeth II, who generally maintains a strictly impartial role politically, was upset with the style of
Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...
's leadership. * In 1990, in what became known as the Arms-to-Iraq affair, the paper revealed how Matrix Churchill and other British firms were supplying arms to Saddam Hussein's Iraq. * Over two years in the early 1990s, ''The Sunday Times'' published a series of articles rejecting the role of HIV in causing AIDS, calling the African AIDS epidemic a myth. In response, the scientific journal ''
Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...
'' described the paper's coverage of HIV/AIDS as "seriously mistaken, and probably disastrous." ''Nature'' argued that the newspaper had "so consistently misrepresented the role of HIV in the causation of AIDS that ''Nature'' plans to monitor its future treatment of the issue." * In 1992, the paper published extracts from Andrew Morton's book ''Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words'', which revealed for the first time the disastrous state of her marriage to Prince Charles. * Also in 1992, the paper agreed to pay
David Irving David John Cawdell Irving (born 24 March 1938) is an English author and Holocaust denier who has written on the military and political history of World War II, with a focus on Nazi Germany. His works include '' The Destruction of Dresden'' (1 ...
, an author widely criticised for
Holocaust denial Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: ...
, the sum of £75,000 to authenticate the Goebbels diaries and edit them for serialisation. The deal was quickly cancelled after drawing strong international criticism. * In its “ cash for questions” investigation in 1994, Graham Riddick, MP for Colne Valley and David Tredinnick, MP for Bosworth, accepted cheques for £1,000 each from an Insight journalist posing as a businessman in return for tabling a parliamentary question. The investigation followed information that some MPs were taking one-off payments to table questions. * Under the headline, "KGB:
Michael Foot Michael Mackintosh Foot (23 July 19133 March 2010) was a British Labour Party politician who served as Labour Leader from 1980 to 1983. Foot began his career as a journalist on ''Tribune'' and the ''Evening Standard''. He co-wrote the 1940 p ...
was our agent", ''The Sunday Times'' ran an article on 19 February 1995 that claimed the Soviet intelligence services regarded Foot, a former leader of the Labour Party, as an "agent of influence", codenamed "Agent Boot"", and that he had been in the pay of the KGB for many years. The article was based on the serialisation of the memoirs of
Oleg Gordievsky Oleg Antonovich Gordievsky, CMG (; born 10 October 1938) is a former colonel of the KGB who became KGB resident-designate (''rezident'') and bureau chief in London, and was a double agent, providing information to the British Secret Intelli ...
, a former high-ranking KGB officer who defected from the Soviet Union to Britain in 1985. Crucially, the newspaper used material from the original manuscript of the book which had not been included in the published version. Foot successfully sued, winning "substantial" damages. * In 1997–98, the paper ran a series of exclusive stories based on revelations from
Richard Tomlinson Richard John Charles Tomlinson (born 13 January 1963) is a former officer of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). He argued that he was subjected to unfair dismissal from MI6 in 1995, and attempted to take his former employer to a ...
, a former MI6 spy, about life inside MI6 and secret MI6 operations around the world. * During the siege of the United Nations compound in
East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-west ...
in 1999, the paper's foreign reporter, Marie Colvin, was one of only three journalists (all women) who remained to the end with the 1,500 people trapped there. She reported their plight both in ''The Sunday Times'' and in interviews on radio and television and was widely credited with saving their lives. * In 2003, ''The Sunday Times'' published confidential Whitehall documents revealing the names of more than 300 people who had declined New Years, Queens Birthday and Dissolution honours (i.e. knighthoods, damehoods, etc.) * In 2006, in an investigation that became known as
Cash for Honours The Cash-for-Honours scandal (also known as Cash for Peerages, Loans for Lordships, Loans for Honours or Loans for Peerages) was a political scandal in the United Kingdom in 2006 and 2007 concerning the connection between political donations an ...
, ''The Sunday Times'' revealed how several prominent figures nominated for life peerages by the then prime minister,
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
, had loaned large amounts of money to the Labour Party at the suggestion of
Lord Levy Michael Abraham Levy, Baron Levy, (born 11 July 1944) is a Labour Party peer. He is a former chartered accountant and was chairman and CEO of a large independent group of music companies. He now acts as a consultant for a number of companies a ...
, a Labour Party fundraiser. * In mid-2009, the newspaper ran a series of articles revealing how politicians were abusing the expenses system. * Between 2004 and 2010, the newspaper ran an award-winning investigation by Brian Deer which revealed that research by
Andrew Wakefield Andrew Jeremy Wakefield (born September 3, 1956) is a British anti-vaccine activist, former physician, and discredited academic who was struck off the medical register for his involvement in ''The Lancet'' MMR autism fraud, a 1998 study that ...
into the MMR vaccine was fraudulent. The investigation led to Wakefield being banned from medicine, and the retraction of his research from ''
The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823. The journal publishes original research articles, ...
''. * In January 2010, ''The Sunday Times'' published an article by Jonathan Leake, alleging that a figure in the
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report ''Climate Change 2007'', the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was published in 2007 and is the fourth in a series of reports intended to assess scientific, technical and socio ...
was based on an "unsubstantiated claim". The story attracted worldwide attention. However, a scientist quoted in the same article later stated that the newspaper story was wrong and that quotes of him had been used in a misleading way. Following an official complaint to the
Press Complaints Commission The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) was a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC closed on Monday 8 September 2014, and was replaced by the Inde ...
, ''The Sunday Times'' retracted the story and apologised. * In March 2010, undercover reporters from ''The Sunday Times'' Insight team filmed members of parliament agreeing to work for a fictitious lobbying firm for fees of £3,000-£5,000 a day. One of those implicated,
Stephen Byers Stephen John Byers (born 13 April 1953) is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wallsend between 1992 and 1997, and North Tyneside from 1997 to 2010. He served in the Cabinet from 1998 to 2002, and was ...
, described himself as "sort of like a cab for hire". * In October 2010, an investigation by the newspaper exposed corruption within FIFA after a member of the association's committee which grants the World Cup guaranteed his vote to an undercover reporter after requesting £500,000 for a "personal project". * In 2011, the paper broke what became known as the Cash for Influence scandal; it revealed that Adrian Severin, Ernst Strasser, Pablo Zalba Bidegain and Zoran Thaler tried to influence EU legislation in exchange for promised money. Both Strasser and Thaler resigned in March 2011. * In March 2012, the paper filmed Peter Cruddas, the co-treasurer of the Conservative Party, offering access to David Cameron, the prime minister, in return for donations of £250,000 ($400,000). Cruddas resigned several hours later. Cameron said: "What happened was completely unacceptable. This is not the way we raise money in the Conservative Party." * In September 2012, Jonathan Leake published an article in ''The Sunday Times'' under the headline "Only 100 adult cod in North Sea". This figure was later shown by a BBC article to be wildly incorrect. The newspaper published a correction, apologising for an over simplification in the headline, which had referred to a fall in the number of fully mature cod over the age of 13, thereby indicating this is the breeding age of cod. In fact, as the newspaper subsequently pointed out, cod can start breeding between the ages of four and six, in which case there are many more mature cod in the North Sea. * In January 2013, the seven-times
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
winner
Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong ('' né'' Gunderson; born September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road racing cyclist. Regarded as a sports icon for winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005 after recovering fr ...
confessed to having used performance-enhancing drugs during each of his Tour victories. The confession ended years of denials about allegations of cheating during most of the cyclist's professional career. ''The Sunday Times'' chief sports writer David Walsh had spent over a decade investigating Armstrong, his team and the systematic doping rife in the sport. The newspaper was forced to pay Armstrong £300,000 in damages in 2006 after he sued it for libel. Following Armstrong's lifelong ban (and subsequent televised confession) ''The Sunday Times'' said it would sue him to recover the damages, plus interest and costs, for the original proceedings which it called "baseless and fraudulent". * In January 2013, ''The Sunday Times'' published a
Gerald Scarfe Gerald Anthony Scarfe (born 1 June 1936) is an English cartoonist and illustrator. He has worked as editorial cartoonist for ''The Sunday Times'' and illustrator for ''The New Yorker''. His other work includes graphics for rock group Pink ...
caricature depicting Israel's Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
cementing a wall with blood and Palestinians trapped between the bricks. The cartoon sparked an outcry, compounded by the fact that its publication coincided with
International Holocaust Remembrance Day The International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, is an international memorial day on 27 January that commemorates the victims of the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of on ...
, and was condemned by the Anti-Defamation League. After Rupert Murdoch tweeted that he considered it a "grotesque, offensive cartoon" and that Scarfe had "never reflected the opinions of ''The Sunday Times''" the newspaper issued an apology. Journalist Ian Burrell, writing in ''The Independent'', described the apology as an "indication of the power of the Israel lobby in challenging critical media coverage of its politicians" and one that questions Rupert Murdoch's assertion that he does not "interfere in the editorial content of his papers". *In June 2014, the Insight team at ''The Sunday Times'' published a front-page story "Plot to buy the World Cup" that detailed how
Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
used secret slush funds to make dozens of payments totalling more than $5m to senior officials at FIFA to ensure the country won enough votes to secure hosting rights to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The revelation prompted calls for Qatar to be stripped of hosting the World Cup. The reporting by Jonathan Calvert and Heidi Blake won numerous awards, including the
Paul Foot Award The Paul Foot Award is an award given for investigative or campaigning journalism, set up by ''The Guardian'' and ''Private Eye'' in memory of the journalist Paul Foot, who died in 2004. The award, from 2005 to 2014, was for material published in ...
. It also formed the basis for the book by Calvert and Blake, published by
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...
, ''The Ugly Game''. * In June 2015, ''The Sunday Times'' ran a lead front article titled "British spies betrayed to Russians and Chinese". The article was controversial because it contained numerous unlikely and unsubstantiated claims. Shortly after publication parts of the online version of the article were changed quietly by the newspaper. The article appeared to be an attempt to smear the American Whistleblower Edward Snowden, thus fuelling further doubt as to its independent editorship. * In August 2019, ''The Sunday Times'' received the leaked
Operation Yellowhammer Operation Yellowhammer was the codename used by the British HM Treasury for cross-government civil contingency planning for the possibility of Brexit without a withdrawal agreement a no-deal Brexit. Had the UK and EU failed to conclude such an ...
file about preparations for a No Deal Brexit. *In April 2020, an investigation by ''The Sunday Times'''s ''Insight'' team revealed 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 F ...
had skipped five COBR meetings in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. The investigation suggested that the British government underestimated the threat of the virus and failed to adequately prepare, and scrutinised Johnson's leadership during the crisis. It became the most read story in the history of ''The Times''. This, and subsequent investigations into the government's pandemic response, formed the basis of the 2021 book '' Failures of State''.


Phone hacking scandal

In July 2011, ''The Sunday Times'' was implicated in the wider
News International phone hacking scandal The News International phone hacking scandal was a controversy involving the now-defunct ''News of the World'' and other British newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch. Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police b ...
, which primarily involved the '' News of the World'', a Murdoch tabloid newspaper published in the UK from 1843 to 2011. Former British prime minister
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...
accused ''The Sunday Times'' of employing "known criminals" to impersonate him and obtain his private financial records. Brown's bank reported that an investigator employed by ''The Sunday Times'' repeatedly impersonated Brown to gain access to his bank account records. ''The Sunday Times'' vigorously denied these accusations and said that the story was in the public interest and that it had followed the
Press Complaints Commission The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) was a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC closed on Monday 8 September 2014, and was replaced by the Inde ...
code on using subterfuge.


Other editions


Irish edition

The Irish edition of ''The Sunday Times'' was launched on a small scale on 1993 with just two staff: Alan Ruddock and
John Burns John Elliot Burns (20 October 1858 – 24 January 1943) was an English trade unionist and politician, particularly associated with London politics and Battersea. He was a socialist and then a Liberal Member of Parliament and Minister. He was ...
(who started as financial correspondent for the newspaper and is at present acting associate editor). It used the slogan "The English just don't get it". It is now the third biggest-selling newspaper in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
measured in terms of full-price cover sales (Source: ABC Jan–June 2012). Circulation had grown steadily to over 127,000 in the two decades before 2012, but has declined since and currently stands at 60,352 (Jan to Jun 2018). The paper is heavily editionalised, with extensive Irish coverage of politics, general news, business, personal finance, sport, culture and lifestyle. The office employs 25 people. The paper also has a number of well-known freelance columnists including Brenda Power, Liam Fay, Matt Cooper,
Damien Kiberd Damien Kiberd is an Irish journalist and commentator. He is one of the four founders of, and was formerly editor of, ''The Sunday Business Post''. He is also a former business editor of ''The Irish Press'', and of the '' Sunday Tribune''. Kiberd h ...
, Jill Kerby and Stephen Price. However, it ended collaboration with
Kevin Myers Kevin Myers (born 30 March 1947) is an English-born Irish journalist and writer. He has contributed to the ''Irish Independent'', the Irish edition of ''The Sunday Times'', and ''The Irish Times''s column "An Irishman's Diary". Myers is kn ...
after he had published a controversial column. The Irish edition has had four editors since it was set up: Alan Ruddock from 1993 until 1996,
Rory Godson Rory is a given name of Gaelic origin. It is an anglicisation of the ga, Ruairí/''Ruaidhrí'' and gd, Ruairidh and is common to the Irish, Highland Scots and their diasporas. for the given name "Rory". The meaning of the name is "red king" ...
from 1996 until 2000, Fiona McHugh from 2000 to 2005, and from 2005 until 2020 Frank Fitzgibbon.Frank Fitzgibbon stepping down as Sunday Times editor
by Mark Paul, The Irish Times, October 22, 2020.
John Burns is acting editor of the Irish Edition from 2020.


Scottish edition

For more than 20 years the paper has published a separate Scottish edition, which has been edited since January 2012 by Jason Allardyce. While most of the articles that run in the English edition appear in the Scottish edition, its staff also produces about a dozen Scottish news stories, including a front-page article, most weeks. The edition also contains a weekly "Scottish Focus" feature and Scottish commentary, and covers Scottish sport in addition to providing Scottish television schedules. The Scottish issue is the biggest-selling quality newspaper in the market, outselling both ''
Scotland on Sunday ''Scotland on Sunday'' is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by JPIMedia and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate '' The Scotsman''. It was originally printed in broadsheet format but in 20 ...
'' and the ''
Sunday Herald The ''Sunday Herald'' was a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published between 7 February 1999 and 2 September 2018. Originally a broadsheet, it was published in compact format from 20 November 2005. The paper was known for having combined a centre- ...
''.


Online edition

A free digital edition will be free on Christmas day in 2022 like 2005, 2011 & 2016.


Editors

:1821: Henry White :1822: Daniel Whittle Harvey :1828:
Thomas Gaspey Thomas Gaspey (31 March 1788 – 8 December 1871) was an English novelist and journalist. Gaspey was born in Hoxton as the son of William Gaspey, a lieutenant in the navy. While a youth he wrote verses for yearly pocket-books, and when about twe ...
:1854: William Carpenter :1856: E. T. Smith :1858: Henry M. Barnett :1864: Joseph Knight and Ashby Sterry (acting editors) :1874:
Joseph Hatton Joseph Paul Christopher Hatton (3 February 1837 (baptised in Andover 22 March 1837) – 31 July 1907) was an English novelist and journalist. He was Editor of ''The Sunday Times'' from 1874 to 1881. Life Hatton was born and baptised in Andover, ...
:1881: H. W. Oliphant :1887: Phil Robinson :1890:
Arthur William à Beckett Arthur William à Beckett (25 October 1844 – 14 January 1909) was an English journalist and intellectual. Biography He was a younger son of Gilbert Abbott à Beckett and Mary Anne à Beckett, brother of Gilbert Arthur à Beckett and educate ...
:1893:
Rachel Beer Rachel Beer (''née'' Sassoon; 7 April 1858 – 29 April 1927) was an Indian-born British newspaper editor. She was editor-in-chief of ''The Observer'' and ''The Sunday Times''. Early life Rachel Sassoon was born in Bombay to Sassoon David Sas ...
:1901: Leonard Rees :1932: William W. Hadley :1950:
Harry Hodson Henry Vincent Hodson (12 May 1906 – 26 March 1999) was an English economist and editor. Career Hodson was born in Edmonton, London. He was educated at Gresham's School, Holt, and Balliol College, Oxford, becoming a Fellow of All Souls College, ...
:1961: Denis Hamilton :1967:
Harold Evans Sir Harold Matthew Evans (28 June 192823 September 2020) was a British-American journalist and writer. In his career in his native Britain, he was editor of ''The Sunday Times'' from 1967 to 1981, and its sister title ''The Times'' for a year f ...
:1981: Frank Giles :1983:
Andrew Neil Andrew Ferguson Neil (born 21 May 1949) is a Scottish former journalist and broadcaster who is chairman of ''The Spectator'' and presenter of '' The Andrew Neil Show'' on Channel 4. He was editor of ''The Sunday Times'' from 1983 to 1994. He f ...
:1995: John Witherow :2013:
Martin Ivens Martin Paul Ivens (born 29 August 1958) is an English journalist and editor of ''The Times Literary Supplement''. He is a former editor of ''The Sunday Times''. Early life Ivens, who was born in Hampstead in North London, is the son of Michael Iv ...
:2020: Emma Tucker


See also

* * * Mrs Mills Solves all Your Problems * ''The Sunday Times'' Motorshow Live


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sunday Times, The 1821 establishments in the United Kingdom Conservative media in the United Kingdom National newspapers published in the United Kingdom News Corporation subsidiaries Publications established in 1821 Sunday newspapers published in the United Kingdom * Ian Charleson Awards