Editing Evening Standard (section)

==History==

===From 1827 to 2009===
{{More citations needed|section|date=October 2024}}
The newspaper was founded by barrister [[Stanley Lees Giffard]] on 21 May 1827 as ''The Standard''.<ref name=history>{{cite news |last=Brook |first=Stephen |title=A history of the London Evening Standard: seeing off rivals for 181 years |url= https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/jan/14/history-london-evening-standard |newspaper=The Guardian |location= London |date=14 January 2009 |access-date=24 November 2018}}</ref> The early owner of the paper was Charles Baldwin. Under the ownership of [[James Johnstone (publisher)|James Johnstone]], ''The Standard'' became a morning paper from 29 June 1857. ''The Evening Standard'' was published from 11 June 1859. ''The Standard'' gained eminence for its detailed foreign news, notably its reporting of events of the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865), the [[Austro-Prussian War]] of 1866, and the [[Franco-Prussian War]] of 1870, all contributing to a rise in circulation.<ref>''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' Eleventh Edition; Cambridge University Press, 1911, Vol. XIX, Mun to Oddfellows; Article on Newspapers, pp. 544–581.</ref> By the end of the 19th century, the evening edition eclipsed its morning counterpart.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Both ''The Standard'' and the ''Evening Standard'' were acquired by <!-- Not a baronet until 1916. -->[[Sir Arthur Pearson, 1st Baronet|C. Arthur Pearson]] in 1904.<ref name=Griffiths234>{{cite book|last=Griffiths|first=Dennis|title=The Encyclopedia of the British Press, 1422–1992|publisher=Macmillan|year=1992|page=234|location=London & Basingstoke|isbn=978-0-333-52984-3|edition=illustrated}}</ref> In May 1915, <!-- Not a baronet until 1921. -->[[Edward Hulton]] bought the ''Evening Standard'' from [[Davison Dalziel, 1st Baron Dalziel of Wooler|Davison Dalziel]].<ref>Griffiths, ''Encyclopedia of the British Press'', p. 324</ref> Dalziel had bought both papers in 1910,<ref>Griffiths, ''Encyclopedia of the British Press'',  p.188</ref> and closed ''The Standard'', the morning paper, in 1916.<ref name=Griffiths234/> Hulton introduced the gossip column ''Londoner's Diary'', originally billed as "a column written by gentlemen for gentlemen".{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

In 1923, [[Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook|Lord Beaverbrook]], owner of the ''[[Daily Express]]'', bought Hulton's newspapers, although he sold them shortly thereafter to the ''[[Daily Mail]]''{{'}}s owner [[Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere|Lord Rothermere]], with the exception of the ''Standard''. It became a staunchly Conservative paper, harshly attacking Labour in 1945 in a high-profile campaign that backfired. In the 1960s, the paper was upstaged by ''[[The Evening News (London newspaper)|The Evening News]]'', which sold more than 1&nbsp;million copies nightly.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} During the decade, the paper also began to publish the comic strip ''[[Modesty Blaise]]'', which bolstered its sales throughout the 1970s. ''The Evening Standard'' ceased publishing on Saturdays on 30 November 1974, when it still produced six editions daily.<ref>{{cite web |title=Where are they now, those Saturday People? |url=https://47shoelane.wordpress.com/galleries/terriboules |website=47shoelane |date=1 November 2015}}</ref> In the 1960s, the paper's political editor Robert Carvel was granted a morning briefing by prime minister [[Harold Wilson]] and it had its own correspondents in [[Paris]] and [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jenkins |first1=Simon |title=So it's goodbye to London's Standard, my old paper – and to the heart of democracy, local news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/30/so-its-goodbye-to-londons-standard-my-old-paper-and-to-the-heart-of-democracy-local-news |access-date=30 May 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=30 May 2024}}</ref>

In 1980, [[Northern & Shell|Express Newspapers]] merged the ''Standard'' with [[DMG Media|Associated Newspapers]]' ''[[The Evening News (London newspaper)|Evening News]]'' in a [[Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970|Joint Operating Agreement]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} The new paper was known as the ''New Standard'' until 1985, when Associated Newspapers bought out the remaining stake, turning it into ''The Standard''.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} In 1987 the ''Evening News'' was briefly revived to compete with [[Robert Maxwell]]'s ''[[London Daily News]]'', but was reabsorbed into ''The Standard'' later that year, after the collapse of Maxwell's paper.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} In 1988 the ''Evening Standard'' included the by-line "Incorporating the 'Evening News{{'"}}, which remained until the paper's sale in 2009.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

===Lebedev takeover===
On 21 January 2009, the Russian businessman and former [[KGB]] agent [[Alexander Lebedev]] and his son [[Evgeny Lebedev]], who in 2010 went on to own ''[[The Independent]]'', agreed to acquire control of the ''Evening Standard'' for £1 for 64 per cent ownership.<ref name=Lebedev/><ref name=BBC>{{cite news |title=Ex-KGB Spy Buys UK Paper for £1 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7841891.stm |work=[[BBC News]]|date=21 January 2009 |access-date=21 January 2009}}</ref> A few years earlier, 12 per cent of the paper had been sold to Justin Shaw and [[Geordie Greig]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} Associated Newspapers retained the remaining 24 per cent.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

In November 2009, it was announced that the ''London Evening Standard'' would drop its morning "News Extra" edition from 4 January 2010. From then on, the first edition was the "West End Final", available from 2&nbsp;pm.<ref name=G26N09>{{cite news |last=Sweney |first=Mark |title=London Evening Standard drops noon edition and cuts jobs |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/nov/26/london-evening-standard-drops-edition |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=26 November 2009 |access-date=31 March 2012}}</ref> One edition of 600,000 copies would be printed starting at 12:30&nbsp;pm, ending 5.30&nbsp;am starts for journalists and the previous deadline of 7&nbsp;am for the first edition. Twenty people were expected to lose their jobs as a result.<ref name=G26N09/>

There were often considerable changes between editions in the front-page lead and the following news pages, including the [[Londoner's Diary]], though features and reviews stayed the same.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.magforum.com/papers/nationals.htm#eve |title=ESI Media (Independent, Standard) |website=MagForum |access-date=24 November 2018}}</ref> In January 2010, circulation was increased to 900,000.<ref>{{cite news |last=Reynolds |first=John |title=London Evening Standard owner plots circulation increase to 900,000 copies |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jul/10/london-evening-standard-plan-circulation-increase |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=10 July 2013 |access-date=24 November 2018}}</ref>

===May 2009 relaunch===
[[File:London Evening Standard dispensers, Sainsburys.jpg|thumb|''London Evening Standard'' dispensers at [[Sainsbury's]] supermarket, 2017]]

In May 2009, the newspaper launched a series of poster ads, each of which prominently featured the word "Sorry" in the paper's then-masthead font. These ads offered various apologies for past editorial approaches, such as "Sorry for losing touch".<ref>{{cite news |last=Greenslade |first=Roy |author-link=Roy Greenslade |date=4 May 2009 |title=Evening Standard Launches Ad Campaign To Say Sorry to Londoners |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2009/may/04/london-evening-standard-alexander-lebedev |access-date=4 August 2012 |work=Greenslade Blog |via=The Guardian}}</ref> None of the posters mentioned the ''Evening Standard'' by name, although they featured the paper's [[Eros]] logo. Ex-editor [[Veronica Wadley, Baroness Fleet|Veronica Wadley]] criticised the "''[[Pravda]]''-style" campaign saying it humiliated the paper's staff and insulted its readers.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bowser |first=Jacquie |date=11 May 2009 |title=Ex-Editor Wadley Criticises Standard's 'Pravda-Style' Relaunch |url=http://www.brandrepublic.com/News/904743/Ex-editor-Wadley-criticises-Standards-Pravda-style-relaunch/ |access-date=29 May 2024 |work=[[Brand Republic]] |publisher=}}</ref> 

The campaign was designed by [[McCann (company)|McCann Erickson]]. Also in May 2009, the paper relaunched as the ''London Evening Standard'' with a new layout and masthead, marking the occasion by giving away 650,000 free copies on the day,<ref>{{cite web |last=Brook |first=Stephen |date=11 May 2009 |title=London Evening Standard Relaunch – Who's Sorry Now? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/organgrinder/2009/may/11/london-evening-standard-local-newspapers |access-date=4 August 2012 |work=Organ Grinder Blog |via=The Guardian}}</ref> and refreshed its sports coverage.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/may/27/london-evening-standard-pressandpublishing|title=London Evening Standard Revamps Sport Pages|newspaper=The Guardian|date=27 May 2009|first=Stephen |last=Brook|access-date=31 March 2012|location=London}}</ref>

===October 2009: freesheet===
After a long history of paid circulation, on 12 October 2009, the ''Standard'' became a free newspaper,<ref>{{cite magazine |title=London's 'Evening Standard' To Become Free Paper |url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1004018125 |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Editor & Publisher]] |date=2 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004161745/http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1004018125 |archive-date=4 October 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2 October 2009 |title=Evening Standard To Be Free Paper |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8286660.stm |access-date=29 May 2024 |work=BBC News |publisher=}}</ref> with free circulation of 700,000, limited to central London.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} In February 2010, a paid-for circulation version became available in suburban areas of London for 20p (although many places sell it for 50p).<ref>{{cite news |last=Busfield |first=Steve |date=15 February 2010 |title=How Much for a 'Free' London Evening Standard? 50p in Some Shops |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2010/feb/15/london-evening-standard-free-not |access-date=4 August 2012 |work=Greenslade Blog |via=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Nicholas |first=Dean |date=15 February 2010 |title=Evening Standard No Longer Free In Some Parts |url=https://londonist.com/2010/02/evening_standard_no_longer_free_in |access-date=29 May 2024 |work=Londonist |publisher=[[Londonist]]}}</ref> The newspaper won the "Media Brand of the Year" and the "Grand Prix Gold" awards at the Media Week awards in October 2010. The judges said: "[''The Standard'' has] quite simply ... stunned the market. Not just for the act of going free, but because editorial quality has been maintained, circulation has almost trebled and advertisers have responded favourably. Here is a media brand restored to health."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/evening-standard-wins-top-awards-2120509.html|title='Evening Standard' Wins Top Awards|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=30 October 2010|access-date=30 October 2010|publisher=ESI Media}}</ref> The ''Standard'' also won the daily newspaper of the year award at the [[London Press Club]] Awards in May 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Evening Standard Wins Newspaper of the Year Award |url=http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=47098 |url-status=dead |work=[[Press Gazette]]|date=15 May 2011 |access-date=15 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112115604/http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=47098 |archive-date=12 January 2012}}</ref>

===May 2010: mobile application===
''The Evening Standard'' launched a mobile app with US app developer [[Handmark]] in May 2010.<ref>{{cite news |last=Deans |first=Jason |date=24 April 2010 |title=London Evening Standard launches smartphone app |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/may/24/london-evening-standard-smartphone-app |access-date=11 October 2018 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> The range of apps was updated in 2015.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sampson |first=Jessie |date=15 January 2015 |title=Evening Standard launches new app range |url=https://www.newsworks.org.uk/News-and-Opinion/evening-standard-launches-new-app-range |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011173014/https://www.newsworks.org.uk/News-and-Opinion/evening-standard-launches-new-app-range |archive-date=11 October 2018 |access-date=11 October 2018 |publisher=Newsworks}}</ref>

===March 2018: redesign===
In March 2018, editor [[George Osborne]] initiated a redesign of the paper, which included dropping the "London" from its title in a signal of the paper's ambition to have greater national and international influence.<ref name="thedrum1">{{cite news |last=Burrell |first=Ian |date=12 March 2018 |title=George Osborne on his Evening Standard revamp and dropping London from its masthead |url=https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2018/03/12/george-osborne-his-evening-standard-revamp-and-dropping-london-its-masthead |access-date=27 March 2018 |work=The Drum}}</ref> The paper also introduced more colourful "signposting" for different sections such as news, comment, and business, as it was noted by Osborne that it had not been "easy" to find them inside the paper previously.<ref name=thedrum1/> The masthead was also redesigned with a new font, and emojis were added to the paper's five-day weather forecast.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mayhew |first=Freddy |date=12 March 2018 |title=Evening Standard redesign: Weather 'poo' emojis, no more 'London' in masthead and pink business pages |url=http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/evening-standard-redesign-weather-poo-emojis-no-more-london-in-masthead-and-pink-business-pages/ |access-date=27 March 2018 |work=Press Gazette}}</ref>

===May 2018: financial sponsorship===
In May 2018, James Cusick of ''[[openDemocracy]]'' alleged the newspaper had been providing favourable news coverage to companies, including [[Uber]] and [[Google]], in exchange for financial sponsorship.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cusick |first=James |date=30 May 2018 |title=George Osborne's London Evening Standard sells its editorial independence to Uber, Google and others – for £3 million |url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/james-cusick/george-osborne-s-london-evening-standard-promises-positive-news-coverage-to-uber-goo |publisher=openDemocracy}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Sambrook |first=Richard |date=1 June 2018 |title=Fake news week: three stories that reveal the extreme pressure journalism is now under |url=https://theconversation.com/fake-news-week-three-stories-that-reveal-the-extreme-pressure-journalism-is-now-under-97568 |work=The Conversation}}</ref>

===June 2019: Job cuts===
In June 2019, the ''Evening Standard'' announced job cuts.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tobitt |first=Charlotte |date=4 June 2019 |title=Evening Standard theatre critics axed as part of 'necessary cost-cutting' |url=https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/evening-standard-theatre-reviewers-axed-cost-cutting/ |access-date=29 May 2024 |work=Press Gazette |location=London}}</ref> By the end of 2019, the company reported a pre-tax loss of £13.6 million. In August 2020, the paper announced a further 115 job cuts in order to save the company.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/6b69006f-87e8-4180-9b26-b3ed05996176 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/6b69006f-87e8-4180-9b26-b3ed05996176 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |title= Evening Standard to cut a third of jobs as Covid-19 bites |work=Financial Times |location= London |first=Alex |last=Barker |date=7 August 2020 |access-date=8 August 2020}}</ref>

===2024: from daily to weekly, with redundancies===
Before the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 pandemic]] that started in 2020, the ''Evening Standard'''s daily circulation was about 800,000. By mid-2024, it had dropped below 300,000.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tobitt |first1=Charlotte |title=Newspaper ABCs: Sunday People sees biggest print decline in July |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/media-audience-and-business-data/media_metrics/most-popular-newspapers-uk-abc-monthly-circulation-figures-2/ |access-date=20 August 2024 |work=Press Gazette |date=15 August 2024}}</ref> The newspaper lost nearly £20 million in 2023.<ref name=guardian-20250501>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/may/01/lebedev-promises-to-continue-funding-the-standard-after-latest-loss-of-20m |title=Lebedev promises to keep funding Standard after another £20m loss |last=Partridge |first=Joanna |newspaper=The Guardian |date=1 May 2025 |access-date=1 May 2025}}</ref>

On 29 May 2024, the newspaper announced that it would go from a daily to weekly print publication as it was unprofitable, and become a [[digital first]] publication.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Waterson |first1=Jim |title=London Evening Standard to close daily newspaper and launch new weekly |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/may/29/london-evening-standard-close-daily-newspaper-launch-new-weekly |access-date=29 May 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=29 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Maher |first=Bron |title=Evening Standard set to go from daily to weekly print edition |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/nationals/evening-standard-daily-weekly-newspaper-redundancies/ |website=Press Gazette |access-date=29 May 2024 |date=29 May 2024}}</ref><ref name=guardian-20250501/> The newspaper had dropped from about 70 to 30 pages in the preceding decade.<ref name=warrington>{{Cite news |last=Warrington |first=James |date=14 June 2024 |title=Evening Standard to axe 150 jobs as it scraps daily newspaper |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/06/14/evening-standard-axe-150-jobs-scraps-daily-newspaper/ |access-date=15 June 2024 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> The change was made by Lebedev under pressure by Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel, who has owned a 30% stake in the ''Evening Standard''{{'}}s parent company since 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sherwin |first=Adam |date=13 June 2024 |title=Lebedev closed daily Evening Standard after pressure from Saudi investor |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/media/lebedev-saudi-investor-evening-standard-cut-3085226 |access-date=15 June 2024 |website=[[i (British newspaper)|i]] |language=en}}</ref>

On 14 June 2024, the newspaper announced it would eliminate 150 jobs. The redundancies included 70 editorial workers (out of 120), 40 office workers and 45 workers from the paper's printing and distribution operations at [[Broxbourne]].<ref name=warrington/> Lebedev proposed to make statutory minimum payments plus £1,000, capped at £21,000, to those [[Redundancy in United Kingdom law|made redundant]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Warrington |first1=James |title=Evening Standard owner Lord Lebedev accused of closing newspaper 'on the cheap' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/08/09/evening-standard-lord-lebedev-accused-closing-news-on-cheap/ |access-date=22 August 2024 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=9 August 2024}}</ref>

On 29 July 2024, the last Friday and Monday editions had been printed,<ref>{{Cite tweet |publisher=Press Gazette|user=pressgazette|number=1817947292474773724 |date=29 July 2024 |title=Today's edition of the Evening Standard was its last on a Monday, and last week was its last on a Friday}}</ref> and on Thursday 19 September 2024 the last daily format edition was printed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Dylan |author-link=Dylan Jones |date=19 September 2024 |title=We’ll See You Next Week ... With Your New Favourite Newspaper |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/evening-standard-newspaper-weekly-launch-september-b1182999.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240919152452/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/evening-standard-newspaper-weekly-launch-september-b1182999.html |archive-date=19 September 2024 |access-date=20 January 2025 |website=The Standard}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=James W.|last=Kelly|title=London Evening Standard prints final daily paper|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgvl44nq2no|work=BBC News|date=19 September 2024|accessdate=19 September 2024}}</ref> The weekly edition was published on Thursdays from 26 September 2024 under the new name of "The London Standard".<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 September 2024 |title=The London Standard Digital Edition |url=https://thelondonstandard.pressreader.com/the-london-standard/20240926/page/1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250120201655/https://thelondonstandard.pressreader.com/the-london-standard/20240926/page/1 |archive-date=20 January 2025 |access-date=20 January 2025 |website=thelondonstandard.pressreader.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Maher |first=Bron |date=21 August 2024 |title=Weekly Evening Standard to be distributed on Thursdays as 'The London Standard' |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/the-london-standard-evening-standard-rebrand-thursdays/ |access-date=22 August 2024 |website=Press Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Wilkinson |first=Mark |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-standard-streets-first-weekly-newspaper-b1184317.html |title=The London Standard hits the streets for the first time |work=The London Standard |date=26 September 2024 |access-date=29 September 2024}}</ref>