The News Letter
From Freepedia
The News Letter is one of Northern Ireland's main daily news papers, published Monday to Saturday.
The newspaper's editorial stance and readership is (largely) unionist. Its primary competitors are the Belfast Telegraph (which is also unionist in outlook) and the Irish News which adopts a (largely) Irish nationalist perspective. It is the oldest newspaper still in publication in the English-speaking world.
The News Letter was part of the Trinity Mirror newspaper group until late-2003 when it was acquired by the 3i group advised by former Mirror Group Newspapers chairman, David Montgomery. It is now operated by a holding company entitled Local Press Ltd.
Contents |
Title
The full legal title of the newspaper is the "Belfast News Letter"" though the word Belfast does not appear on the masthead anymore.
History
Founded in 1737, the News Letter was printed in Joy's Entry in Belfast, named after Protestant Irish Republican Henry Joy McCracken, and was published by the original owner under the "sign of the Peacock" in Bridge Street. Originally published weekly, it became daily in 1855. The title is now located in the utilitarian Boucher Road industrial estate.
According to the newspaper's owners, "the News Letter...[can claim] the first genuine world exclusive." The boat carrying the first copy to leave the United States of the Declaration of Independence, and bound for London, hit stormy waters off the north coast of Ireland. It sought refuge in Londonderry and arrangements were made to send the Declaration on horseback to Belfast, where it would be met by another ship for delivery to King George III.
Somehow, and in the best traditions of revelatory journalism, the News Letter editor of the day gained access to the priceless document and duly published it on the front page of the August 23, 1776 edition. Today the publishers claim with satisfaction that there is "a constant demand for copies of that famous and historical front page."
Politics
The News Letter has historically been a hardline Unionist title. On April 1, (April Fool's Day) 1993, the paper published a reader poll and of those who took part, 42% agreed with the violence of the loyalist paramilitary groups, the UDA and the UVF.
However when it was purchased by the Mirror Group in the 1990s Montgomery moved it to a more pro-peace process position. This was continued under the stewardship of the then editor, Geoff Martin. Martin was succeeded in 2003 by Nigel Wareing, formerly of the Guardian Media Group.
The paper publishes several weekly and infrequent supplements, such as Farming Life and Catwalk. It also prints many titles for other publishers including Trinity Mirror and Guardian Media Group. It also prints the Ulster-Scots Agency publication, The Ulster-Scot. It strongly supports the policies of the Democratic Unionist Party.
The News Letter was sold by Trinity Mirror to venture capital firm 3i in late 2003. In 2004 3i formed a new company, Local Press Ltd, to publish the News Letter and its stablemates, the Derry Journal and the Donegal Democrat.
Circulation
Circulation currently stands at approximately 29,000, but this does not include the Farming Life supplement. When Farming Life is sold with the News Letter on Wednesdays and Saturdays circulation peaks at around 40,000 and is read across the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland.
