| to offer authoritative insight and opinion on | |
| to be available in most of the world's main cities | |
| to put things in the most direct and picturesque manner, as people would talk to each other in common speech | |
| to speak with a collective voice | |
| to remain true to the principles of its founder | , |
| the editor's independence is guaranteed by the existence of a board of trustees |
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About The Economist online
www.economist.com
The Economist online offers authoritative insight and opinion on international news, politics, business, finance, science and technology. All articles are published from The Economist print edition (including those printed only in British copies) and maintain a searchable online archive that dates back June 1997. Also a variety of web-only content, including blogs, debates and audio/video programmes is offered. The Economist online is part of The Economist Group and is responsible for The Economist on the internet. There are offices in New York, London and San Francisco, and a growing worldwide editorial staff.
Why does the Economist call itself a newspaper? Even when The Economist incorporated the Bankers' Gazette and Railway Monitor from 1845 to 1932, it also described itself as "a political, literary and general newspaper". It still does so because, in addition to offering analysis and opinion, it tries in each issue to cover the main eventsbusiness and politicalof the week. It goes to press on Thursdays and, printed simultaneously in six countries, is available in most of the world's main cities the following day or soon after.
Why is it anonymous? Many hands write The Economist, but it speaks with a collective voice. Leaders are discussed, often disputed, each week in meetings that are open to all members of the editorial staff. Journalists often co-operate on articles. And some articles are heavily edited. The main reason for anonymity, however, is a belief that what is written is more important than who writes it.
Who owns The Economist? Since 1928, half the shares have been owned by the Financial Times, a subsidiary of Pearson, the other half by a group of independent shareholders, including many members of the staff. The editor's independence is guaranteed by the existence of a board of trustees; it formally appoints the editor, who can only be removed with its permission.
What, besides free trade and free markets, does The Economist believe in? The Economist considers itself the enemy of privilege, pomposity and predictability. It also believes in plain language. Walter Bagehot, the most famous 19th-century editor, tried "to be conversational, to put things in the most direct and picturesque manner, as people would talk to each other in common speech, to remember and use expressive colloquialisms". That remains the style of the paper today.
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Established in 1843 to campaign on one of the great political issues of the day, The Economist remains true to the principles of its founder. James Wilson, a hat maker from the small Scottish town of Hawick, was a manufacturer and wanted especially to influence "men of business. Accordingly, he insisted that all the arguments and propositions put forward in his paper should be subjected to the test of facts. That was why it was called The Economist.
A recent editor, Rupert Pennant-Rea, once described The Economist as a Friday viewspaper, where the readers, with higher than average incomes, better than average minds but with less than average time, can test their opinions against ours... The Economist has survived, and indeed prospered, by building on the internationalism of its outlook and by selling abroad.
