Task 5

Licensing Act of 1662	Originally intended to run for two years, and limit the circulation of newspapers going on at the time, by limiting some of the content that can be published, such as heretical and blasphemous content.
Tax on Newspaper 1711	As of August, 1 1712, a new tax on publishers of newspapers was introduced. This tax was imposed on each newspaper sold, and increased in 1797. It generated Government revenue of £5,536 in its first year.
The Observer	It is classed as the oldest Sunday newspaper, founded in 1791, it became quickly against the government, and is published alongside the Guardian, with the same political stance.
Reduction of the Stamp Tax in 1836	Stamp tax was reduced to 1p in 1836, as a result of the ‘war of the unstamped’, and the tax on pamphlets was cleared as a whole.
‘Golden Age’ of Newspaper Publication	The rise of smartphones, internet and televised news has reduced the demand for newspapers. In the U.S, in around the year 2000, there were around 6000 newspaper firms. In 2013, there are around 4500. The newspaper decline started in the late 1990s due to the Internet.
Advertising Profits	Newspapers which are sold at a low price often times involve the sale and distribution of advertising space to help fund the paper. In 2016, The Times raised £11 million through advertising spaces.
The Press Council	Started to aid in regulation of news. Founded in 1953, the council was restricted to newspaper editors. From the 60s, 20% of the membership required 20% to not be employed by a newspaper. In 1991, due to repeated distrust from the media, it was replaced with the PCC, which was replaced by the IPSO in 2014.
The Independent	In March 2016, due to low 2015 circulation figures (58,000), the newspaper stopped publishing the print version, leaving the online versions of the newspapers, alongside the digital ones. This was down by 85% on its peak in 1990.
Phone Hacking	In 2011, the Leveson Inquiry was set up to investigate the News International phone hacking scandal, with regards to The News Of The World. Its final edition was published on 10 July 2011, alongside the cancellation of News Corporation’s BSkyB takeover.
Decline in Circulation	Since the early 2000s the Online presence of newspaper has lead to the eventual decline in newspaper circulation, with only just over two million papers being circulated by The Sun in 2016.

 The IPSO was established in September 2014 to replace the PCC after it was deemed biased and inadequate within the Leveson Inquiry. It suggested that an impartial and unbiased regulator was needed.