Profile
The Guardian, founded in 1821 as The Manchester Guardian, later changed its name in 1959. It is part of the Guardian Media Group, owned by the Scott Trust Limited.
The Scott Trust was established in 1936 to ensure the financial and editorial independence of The Guardian in perpetuity and to safeguard its journalistic freedom and liberal values from commercial or political interference.
In 2008, the trust became a limited company, its profits being reinvested in journalism rather than distributed to owners or shareholders. The Guardian has an online edition, TheGuardian.com, and three international websites: Guardian Australia (founded in 2013), Guardian New Zealand (founded in 2019), and Guardian US (founded in 2011).
The Guardian is generally considered to represent the mainstream left of British political opinion. In the 2016 EU membership referendum, The Guardian endorsed remaining in the Union, and in the 2019 European election, it supported pro-EU candidates without endorsing specific parties.
According to several research polls conducted by various companies over the years, The Guardian has scored high in consumer trust and is considered to be among the most-read of the UK’s “quality news brands”. In 2014, The Guardian launched a membership scheme with the aim of reducing its financial losses without introducing a paywall. Online readers can pay a monthly subscription or make a donation.
The company also receives donations and grants from various organizations, foundations, or companies such as Pierre Omidyar’s Humanity United, the Skoll Foundation, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Ford, Rockefeller, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, among others.
