The News of the World rolled onto the streets of London on 1 October 1843, priced at just three pence – the cheapest weekly news offering of its day. Founded by John Browne Bell, the paper advertised itself as a source of crime, vice and sensational court reports, aiming at the newly literate working class. Its early headlines featured lurid descriptions of brothels and streetwalkers, establishing a reputation for shock value that would become its hallmark for more than a century.
Early growth and market domination
Within two years the circulation jumped from roughly 12,000 to over 24,000, and by 1854 it reached 109,100 copies. The paper survived the repeal of the Stamp Act (1855) and paper duties (1861) without raising its price, cementing loyalty among readers who prized affordability. By the early twentieth century the paper’s weekly sales hit two million, soaring to four million on the eve of World War II. This success spurred rival Sunday titles such as the Sunday People and the Daily Mail but the News of the World remained the pre-eminent Sunday seller throughout the 1930s and 1940s.
Murdoch acquisition and tabloid transformation
In 1969 Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited bought the title from the Carr family after a bitter boardroom struggle. The new owners modernised distribution and, in 1984, trimmed the broadsheet format to a compact tabloid size, aligning the paper with its sister Sunday title, The Sun. The editorial line shifted decisively toward celebrity gossip, scandal and sensational investigations. Nicknamed the “Screws of the World” for its focus on sex scandals, the paper often deployed undercover reporters and private investigators to obtain clandestine photographs and recordings, a practice that earned both notoriety and high readership.
Celebrity scandals and investigative tactics
The News of the World built a lucrative niche exposing drug use, affairs and criminal behaviour among the famous. Its “Betty-Beckham” scoop, the exposure of alleged cricket spot-fixing, and the infamous “Fake Sheikh” operations by Mazher Mahmood illustrate the lengths to which the paper would go. Payment for stories – the so-called “chequebook journalism” – became routine, with the paper buying testimony from witnesses in high-profile trials, including the Moors murders and the Gary Glitter case. While such tactics won awards for investigative reporting, they also attracted repeated libel actions and pressure from press regulators.
Phone-hacking scandal and the newspaper’s demise
Allegations of illegal voicemail interception surfaced in 2006, but the scandal exploded on 4 July 2011 when it emerged that a private investigator hired by the paper had accessed the voicemail of missing teenager Milly Dowler. The revelation that the paper may have deleted messages to give the illusion that she was still alive provoked a public outcry. Within weeks senior staff – former editor Andy Coulson, royal editor Clive Goodman, executive editor Neil Wallis and later former editor Rebekah Brooks – were arrested. Advertisers withdrew, and on 7 July 2011 News International announced the immediate closure of the title.
Final edition and legacy
The last issue, printed on 10 July 2011, bore the headline “Thank You & Goodbye” over a collage of historic front pages. It sold 3.8 million copies, a record for its final week, and promised that all profits would go to charitable causes. The shutdown cost the parent company roughly £240 million. In February 2012 Murdoch launched The Sun on Sunday as a direct replacement, employing several former News of the World journalists. The paper’s 168-year saga remains a cautionary tale about the tension between sensational journalism and ethical boundaries.
