The Sun

The Sun is a British national tabloid newspaper published by News UK, the British newspaper subsidiary of News Corp. It began publication in 1964 as the successor to the Daily Herald, initially retaining a broadly left-of-centre identity and appearing in broadsheet format. Its decisive transformation came in 1969, when Rupert Murdoch acquired the title through his newspaper interests and relaunched it as a compact tabloid. Under editor Larry Lamb, the paper developed a commercially powerful formula combining short, visually prominent stories with political campaigning, crime reporting, entertainment, sport, consumer features, humour, and celebrity coverage. The paper became particularly influential during the 1970s and 1980s. Its editorial approach was deliberately populist and confrontational, using large headlines, strong opinions, photographs, and direct appeals to readers. The famous 1985 front-page headline “It’s The Sun Wot Won It” reflected the paper’s claim that its campaigning had helped Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Party win the general election, although the extent of newspaper influence remains debated. The Sun subsequently maintained a prominent role in British political debate, generally supporting Conservative leadership for much of its history but changing its declared support to Labour under Tony Blair in 1997 and later backing other parties or positions depending on the election and issue. Sport, especially football, has long been central to the brand. The newspaper publishes extensive match reporting, columns, transfer coverage, betting-related material, and sports opinion. It also became internationally controversial for its reporting of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. The paper’s initial coverage falsely blamed Liverpool supporters and used the headline “The Truth”; the claims were later discredited, and the Hillsborough Independent Panel and subsequent legal and public findings confirmed that the disaster was caused by failures in stadium safety and emergency response rather than supporter wrongdoing. The episode caused enduring hostility toward the newspaper in Liverpool and remains one of the most serious reputational failures in its history. The Sun has also faced sustained criticism over privacy, intrusion, sexism, stereotyping, accuracy, and ethical standards. It was part of the wider News of the World phone-hacking scandal, and former journalists and executives became involved in related police investigations and civil litigation concerning alleged unlawful information gathering at News International titles. The paper’s Page 3 feature, which ran for decades, became a prominent focus of debates about sexualisation and the representation of women; the print feature was ended in 2015, although the wider brand continued to use provocative entertainment and lifestyle content. In the digital era, The Sun has operated as a multi-platform news and entertainment brand. Its website publishes breaking news, politics, sport, show business, lifestyle, opinion, video, and interactive content, while the print edition continues to use a mass-market tabloid format. The brand also offers digital products and paid or registered-user services in addition to freely accessible online journalism. Its commercial importance is tied not only to print circulation but also to digital reach, advertising, subscriptions, licensing, and its ability to generate attention across social and mobile platforms. The Sun remains active and influential, though its reputation is sharply polarised and its role in British public life continues to attract regulatory, legal, political, and ethical scrutiny.

The Sun was launched in 1964 by the International Publishing Corporation as a replacement for the Daily Herald, a newspaper with roots in the British labour movement. The new title initially appeared as a broadsheet and struggled to establish a durable commercial position. Its fortunes changed in 1969 when Rupert Murdoch acquired the newspaper. Murdoch and editor Larry Lamb converted it into a compact tabloid, creating a more aggressive and accessible editorial product aimed at a broad working- and middle-class readership. The relaunched Sun used short articles, oversized headlines, large photographs, humour, celebrity material, crime stories, sport, consumer advice, and political campaigning. This formula differentiated it from more formal broadsheet newspapers and helped build a large national audience. Its editorial voice was often deliberately provocative, and the title developed a reputation for treating the front page as a campaigning and attention-generating product as much as a conventional news summary. During the Thatcher era, The Sun became an important Conservative-supporting voice. Its 1985 claim that it had helped deliver the Conservative election victory symbolised the newspaper’s confidence in its political influence. The title’s political endorsements were not permanently fixed, however. It backed Labour under Tony Blair in 1997, supported Conservative-led positions in later periods, and campaigned prominently for Brexit in 2016. These shifts demonstrated both the paper’s ideological flexibility and its strategic interest in aligning with positions it believed resonated with a mass readership. The newspaper’s sports coverage, particularly football, became one of its most important franchises. At the same time, its celebrity reporting and Page 3 feature made it a major participant in British popular culture. Those features generated commercial attention but also sustained criticism about sexism, objectification, sensationalism, intrusion, and the treatment of public figures. The print Page 3 feature ended in 2015 after a long period of public debate. The Hillsborough disaster became the most damaging episode in the newspaper’s history. In 1989, The Sun published allegations that Liverpool supporters had abused victims and obstructed rescue efforts. Those allegations were false. The title’s coverage produced a long-term boycott in Liverpool and serious damage to its credibility. The Hillsborough Independent Panel’s 2012 report helped establish the factual basis for a renewed apology from the newspaper, but the episode continues to shape public perceptions of the brand. The Sun was also drawn into the broader News International phone-hacking crisis that followed revelations about unlawful access to voicemail messages at the News of the World. The scandal caused the closure of that sister newspaper, legal claims, police investigations, arrests, and parliamentary and regulatory scrutiny. The controversy prompted wider questions about newsroom culture, management responsibility, source payments, privacy, and the boundaries of tabloid reporting. In the twenty-first century, The Sun expanded from a print newspaper into a digital publishing brand. TheSun.co.uk developed substantial coverage across breaking news, politics, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, opinion, video, and consumer content. The company experimented with paid digital access before returning the principal website to a largely free model in 2015. The modern brand therefore combines a continuing print newspaper with websites, mobile distribution, social publishing, digital services, commercial partnerships, and audience products. It remains one of Britain’s best-known newspapers, but its influence is accompanied by unusually intense public disagreement over accuracy, ethics, politics, and editorial tone.

1. 2016Brexit campaign

   The Sun campaigns for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union in the referendum.

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2. 2015Page 3 print feature ends

   The long-running print Page 3 feature is discontinued amid sustained criticism and public campaigning.

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3. 2015Main digital service returns to free access

   The Sun removes the paywall from its principal online news service as News UK prioritises audience scale and digital advertising reach.

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4. 2012Apology follows the Hillsborough report

   After the Hillsborough Independent Panel report, The Sun apologises for its inaccurate and offensive reporting of the disaster.

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5. 1997The Sun backs Labour

   The newspaper supports Tony Blair’s Labour Party at the general election after years of association with Conservative politics.

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6. 1989Hillsborough coverage causes lasting backlash

   The newspaper publishes false allegations against Liverpool supporters after the Hillsborough disaster, producing a long-running boycott and reputational crisis.

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7. 1985The newspaper claims electoral influence

   A prominent front page claims that The Sun helped the Conservatives win the general election, reinforcing its image as a politically influential tabloid.

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8. 1969Rupert Murdoch acquires and relaunches the newspaper

   The title is acquired by Rupert Murdoch and converted from broadsheet publication to a compact tabloid format.

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9. 1964The Sun begins publication

   The Sun is launched by the International Publishing Corporation as the successor to the Daily Herald.

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A mass-market British tabloid positioned around fast, highly visual, populist news and opinion, with major editorial franchises in football, celebrity, entertainment, campaigning, and consumer features.

• The Sun print editionNational tabloid newspaper1964

  The core print product is a daily compact tabloid carrying national and regional news, politics, sport, entertainment, celebrity reporting, opinion, consumer features, puzzles, and commercial promotions. Its identity is built around fast reading, visual presentation, direct language, prominent front pages, and campaigning positions.

• TheSun.co.ukDigital news and entertainment platform1990

  The website extends the newspaper brand into continuously updated coverage of breaking news, politics, sport, football, celebrity, television, lifestyle, health, money, video, and opinion. It has used both paid and free-access models during its development and is distributed through web, mobile, social, and video channels.

• Sun SportSports journalism

  Sun Sport is the newspaper’s sports franchise, with particularly extensive coverage of English football, transfers, match reporting, personalities, betting-related content, and opinion. Sport is one of the title’s most important audience and brand-engagement categories in print and digital publishing.

• Sun BingoDigital gaming and entertainment service

  Sun Bingo is a branded online bingo service associated with The Sun. It extends the newspaper’s commercial and promotional ecosystem into digital gaming and entertainment, subject to applicable gambling regulation and licensing requirements.

• Sun SaversConsumer rewards programme

  Sun Savers is a loyalty and rewards proposition connected with The Sun. It uses the newspaper and its digital channels to provide readers with promotional rewards, offers, and engagement mechanisms beyond conventional news publishing.

• 2016Vote Leave campaign

  United Kingdom

  The Sun used editorials, front pages, opinion pieces, and campaign messaging to support leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum.

  Outcome. The leave side won the referendum, although the newspaper’s precise influence cannot be isolated from other political, economic, and media factors.

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• 19851985 general-election campaign

  United Kingdom

  The Sun strongly supported Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Party during the 1985 general-election period and presented itself as an influential force in the result.

  Outcome. The Conservatives won the election, while the newspaper’s claimed causal influence became a lasting part of its public identity rather than an independently measurable fact.

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• 2016Campaign for BrexitStrategy

  The newspaper had long used prominent political campaigning as part of its brand identity and chose a clear position in the European Union referendum.

  What changed. The Sun endorsed and actively promoted leaving the European Union through editorials and front-page campaigning.

  Aftermath. The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, and the campaign reinforced The Sun’s reputation as a politically assertive mass-market newspaper.

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• 2015Remove the main digital paywallStrategy

  The earlier paid-access model limited the scale of the website’s potential audience and advertising inventory.

  What changed. News UK returned the principal Sun website to a largely free-access model while retaining digital products and commercial opportunities around the brand.

  Aftermath. The decision positioned The Sun for broader digital reach and greater dependence on advertising, registration, partnerships, and other audience-based revenues.

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• 1969Convert the newspaper into a compact tabloidStrategy

  The newly acquired newspaper faced the challenge of building a commercially viable mass audience in a competitive national press market.

  What changed. Rupert Murdoch and the editorial team changed the format, tone, visual treatment, and editorial mix, creating the modern popular-tabloid identity of The Sun.

  Aftermath. The relaunch established the newspaper’s distinctive mass-market model and helped make it one of Britain’s most recognisable national titles.

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• 2012Operation Elveden and payments to public officialsControversy

  Journalists connected with the News International group, including staff associated with The Sun, were investigated over allegations concerning payments to public officials and related conduct. The legal outcomes varied by defendant and case.

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• 2011Phone-hacking and unlawful-information allegationsControversy

  The Sun was associated with the broader News International crisis involving alleged phone hacking and other unlawful information-gathering practices. The scandal led to criminal investigations, civil litigation, arrests, parliamentary scrutiny, and major criticism of tabloid newsroom culture.

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• 1989Hillsborough reportingControversy

  The Sun published false allegations that Liverpool supporters had abused victims and obstructed rescue efforts after the Hillsborough disaster. The reporting was later comprehensively discredited and produced a continuing boycott in Liverpool. The newspaper apologised after the 2012 Hillsborough Independent Panel report.

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• 2016The Sun backs Brexit in referendum campaign

  The newspaper campaigned for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum, using prominent front-page and editorial messaging to support Brexit.

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• 2015The Sun ends Page 3 feature

  The print edition ended its long-running Page 3 topless photograph feature after years of public criticism and campaigning, although the title continued to publish celebrity and entertainment material in other formats.

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• 2015The Sun removes paywall from digital edition

  News UK returned The Sun’s main digital news service to a broadly free-access model after a period behind a paywall, emphasizing scale, advertising reach, and audience growth.

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1. The Sun (United Kingdom)
2. Hillsborough Independent Panel report
3. BBC coverage of the Hillsborough apology
4. BBC coverage of the phone-hacking scandal
5. The Guardian report on removal of The Sun paywall
6. Apology follows the Hillsborough report
7. Page 3 print feature ends
8. Brexit campaign
9. Operation Elveden and payments to public officials