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EU Referendum Brexit Europe

The New European: Archant launches national 'pop-up' newspaper for anti-Brexit readers

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By Rebecca Stewart, Trends Editor

July 4, 2016 | 4 min read

A new national newspaper is being launched in the UK to give anti-Brexit readers “a voice” following the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

The New European Newspaper Brexit

The New European will launch on 8 July / The New European

The New European will launch on Friday (8 July) at the cost of £2, and has been described by publisher Archant as a “pop-up paper”.

Its initial print run will last just four issues, according to BuzzFeed, with an Archant spokesperson saying: “Every issue will be a collector’s item. After issue four, every week’s sale will be a referendum on the next.”

The paper’s distribution strategy will be primarily focused on London, Liverpool and Manchester, as well as other regions that showed strong support for Remain in the EU referendum vote.

The New European will be printed in Berliner format, ie mid-way between a tabloid and a broadsheet, and Archant believes it to be the fastest newspaper created – with the plan being that it will hit newsstands nine days after conception.

The launch marks the first time a “pop-up” publishing model has been used by a national British paper, and follows on from the closure of Trinity Mirror’s short-lived New Day which was the first national print title to launch since 2006.

Archant’s chief content officer Matt Kelly has been appointed as launch editor of the title, and told BuzzFeed: “We are currently in an extraordinary period of time in the UK, with all of society seemingly in a state of flux and turmoil. I believe the 48 per cent who voted to Remain are not well served by the traditional press and think there is a clear opportunity for a newspaper people will want to read and carry The New European like a badge of honour.

“It will upset Michael Gove to hear that we value very highly expertise and have some of the world’s best brains in their areas writing for us. And it is also a politician-free zone. They are banned.”

The Independent claims that the “overriding theme of the first issue will be traditional media” and how it “just didn’t live up to expectations through the campaign stage of the referendum.”

Former Loaded and CQ editor James Brown will be among those writing in the first issue, along with Tanit Koch, editor of German tabloid Bild, Annabelle Dickson, leader of the Westminster political lobby for regional newspapers and Wolfgang Blau, who was previously editor of Zeit Online and digital director at the Guardian.

Back in 2014, Newsquest launched pro-Scottish-independence paper, The National, in Scotland following the Scottish referendum. Year-on-year since its launch its print circulation averaged 14,000.

EU Referendum Brexit Europe

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