The Observer is Britain's oldest surviving Sunday newspaper. It was launched in 1791 as a paper "whose Principle is Independence, whose Object is Truth and the Dissemination of every Species of Knowledge that may conduce to the Happiness of Society".

The paper currently has a circulation of about 450,000 and brings a fine tradition of radical reporting to Guardian Newspapers, which bought the paper in 1993. The Observer very successfully complements its daily stablemate, yet retains its distinctive voice and identity.

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