New title hits the news stands promising to hold its journalists to the highest standards as inquiries into phone-hacking continue
Rupert Murdoch's Sun on Sunday launched with a manifesto that attempts to set out a fresh agenda for the tabloid replacing the News of the World, which was closed by the media mogul last July.
The newspaper pledged to be "fearless, outspoken, mischievous and fun", while setting out its commitment to high ethical standards in the wake of the scandals that have rocked News International and led to the arrests of 10 of its own journalists for alleged corrupt payments to public officials.
The front page has an exclusive interview with the Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, the first since the birth of her daughter in January, which left her in a critical condition in hospital. The story is headlined: "My heart stopped for 40 seconds", and is accompanied by a picture of Holden cradling her daughter, Hollie. She told the newspaper she was "moments from death" and describes her ordeal in an interview spread over five pages.
An editorial on page 12, titled "A new Sun rises today", admits News International is going through a "challenging period" and states that it will hold its journalists to account and abide by the ethical code set out by the industry watchdog, the Press Complaints Commission. It reads: "As we launch the seven-day Sun, we want to strengthen that connection [with the readers] with a new independent Sun Readers' Champion to accept feedback and correct significant errors.
"Our journalists must abide by the Press Complaints Commission's editors code, the industry standard for ethical behaviour, and the News Corporation standards of business conduct. We will hold our journalists to the standards we expect of them. After all a newspaper which holds the powerful to account must do the same with itself. You will be able to trust our journalists to abide by the values of decency as they gather news."
The paper said it would remain "fearless, outspoken, mischievous and fun" and said the Sun has been a "tremendous force for good", adding: "It is worth reminding our readers, and detractors, of that as we publish our historic first Sunday edition during what is a challenging period. News International closed our sister paper the News of the World over the phone-hacking scandal.
"Since then some of our own journalists have been arrested, though not charged, over allegations of payments to public officials for stories. We believe those individuals are innocent until proven guilty. It has been a sobering experience for our entire industry."
Murdoch personally supervised the final stages of production on the new title and watched as more than three million copies came off the printing presses.
The media tycoon wants the title, edited by Dominic Mohan, to adopt a less strident, more female-friendly tone, as he hopes to regain market leadership on Sunday with a sale of at least two million – and preferably at or around three million. The Sun's six-day sale average is 2.75 million.
He has also been closely involved in a seven-figure marketing campaign, pledging the Sunday newspaper will hold its reduced 50p price to at least the end of the year. The Daily Star Sunday reacted by slashing its price from £1 to 50p, while the cost of the Sunday Mirror remains £1.
As the new title arrived, there were allegations that former Sun editor Rebekah Brooks received details of the original failed phone-hacking investigation into the News of the World from a senior Metropolitan police officer. There is no suggestion that the officer was paid or that Brooks is implicated in the investigation which is being conducted by the IPCC police watchdog. A spokesman for Brooks declined to comment.
Murdoch has spent freely on marketing the Sunday edition of a title he took over in 1969 and described this month as "part of me".
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