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The Guardian

Also known as The Manchester Guardian, Guardian

British daily newspaper founded in Manchester in 1821, owned through the Scott Trust.

• The Guardian is a British daily newspaper, founded in Manchester in 1821 as The Manchester Guardian and renamed in 1959, when it moved towards London.
• It belongs to Guardian Media Group, whose sole shareholder is the Scott Trust, set up in 1936 to keep the paper financially and editorially independent; profits go back into the journalism.
• Katharine Viner has been editor-in-chief from 2015.
• It runs UK, US, Australian, European and international editions online.

Why it matters

• It is one of the main English-language news sites in the world, funded by readers rather than an owner.

Key facts

Founded

5 May 1821 in Manchester, by John Edward Taylor, as The Manchester Guardian; renamed in 19591

Headquarters

Kings Place, London1

Ownership

Guardian Media Group, whose sole shareholder is the Scott Trust (set up in 1936, when John Russell Scott transferred his family's stake to trustees)2

Mission

"Since 1821 the mission of the Guardian has been to use clarity and imagination to build hope"2

Editions

UK, US (from 2011), Australia (from 2013), Europe and international1

Format

Tabloid from 20181

Print circulation

105,134 a day (July 2021)1

31 Oct 2026Last checked against its sources today

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