The Sun on Sunday launches with ‘decency’ pledge
Rupert Murdoch has launched the first edition of the Sun on Sunday, attempting to fill the hole left by the loss of the News of the World.
The media tycoon has launched the new Sunday edition with vows to uphold “trust” and “decency” following the damage his brand suffered by the phone hacking scandal.
The newspaper claims it will hold all journalists to account and said it had appointed a readers’ champion to deal with errors and feedback from the public.
In an editorial, the newspaper also commented on the arrests of 10 current and former employees over alleged corrupt payments to public officials, saying they were “innocent until proven guilty”.
It said that the closure of its sister paper the News of the World was a “sobering experience”.
Today’s front page featured an interview with Amanda Holden who recounts how the birth of her daughter left her in a critical condition in hospital.
She told the newspaper she was “moments from death” and describes her ordeal in an interview spread over five pages.
The newspaper is 92 pages long and has a 28-page football pull-out, also features a topless photo of singer Kelly Rowland on Page 3, but the X Factor judge is covering her modesty.
Mr Murdoch travelled to the paper’s printers in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, last night to witness the new Sunday tabloid roll off the press for the first time.
He thanked staff at The Sun, tweeting: “New Sunday edition nearly ready. Fantastic achievement by great staff. Many thanks.”
It is understood that three million copies of the paper were printed overnight and Mr Murdoch said he would be “very happy” if his new paper exceed two million sales. It remains to be seen whether it will have the same success as the News of the World.
Murdoch announced the launch of the paper earlier this week after flying in to reassure staff that he would not close the Sun paper.
