21 JANUARY 1846
The Daily News is launched by Charles Dickens
The new broadsheet offers an alternative to rightwing rivals
Early in 1846, word of a new broad-sheet newspaper was spreading across the bustling City of London. And on the morning of 21 January, “flying newsmen” (street vendors) tore through the crowds, touting for business by waving the brand-new edition. Some 10,000 copies of the first issue of The Daily News, edited by Charles Dickens, were sold in London for five pence on the streets and in taverns, gentlemen's clubs and coffee shops.
In it, Dickens declared that “the Principles advocated by will be Principles of Progress and Improvement; of Education, Civil and Religious Liberty, and Equal Legislation.” The paper aimed to provide a more liberal alternative to the popular rightwing , though Dickens couldn't help but add some lighter content. “Travelling Letters: Written on the Road” were sketches describing his personal
