After 234 years of continuous publication in paper and ink, The Observer will finally have its first bespoke website from this Friday.

But Tortoise Media, the digital start-up which controversially acquired the venerable title in December, is aiming to surprise the UK news industry by reinvigorating interest in the age-old format of the printed newspaper. It’s a bold plan but many are unconvinced it will succeed, not least the large number of Observer staff who have preferred to take redundancy.

From this Sunday, the historic weekly will re-emerge with a different feel, including an upgrade in the quality of the paper it is printed on and a new look to its front page. Tens of thousands of extra copies will be given away outside art galleries, museums and food markets as a way of promoting the paper’s strengths in covering culture and cookery.

It seems counter-intuitive. Tortoise launched as an online publisher in 2019 and is primarily a podcast producer. It was embraced by Guardian Media Group (GMG), owner of The Observer from 1993, as a suitor that could create a digital future for the Sunday paper. The Observer had been marginalised by GMG’s focus on The........

© iNews