UK's Independent prints final edition
LONDON — Staff at The Independent sent their final edition to the printing presses on Friday before the 30-yearold British newspaper becomes available only in digital format.
Journalists posted footage online of the team "banging ourselves out" – an old tradition of banging the desks to mark the departure of a colleague.
The newspaper's final editorial said history would be the judge of its "bold transition" to online media, "as an example for other newspapers around the world to follow."
"Today the presses have stopped, the ink is dry and the paper will soon crinkle no more," it said. "But as one chapter closes, another opens, and the spirit of The Independent will flourish still."
The 1995, when Today folded.
The weekly News of the World owned by US media tycoon Rupert Murdoch closed in 2011 in the wake of a series of phone hacking scandals, but was replaced by the Sun on Sunday, which is owned by the same group.
ESI Media, which controls The Independent, is also selling off the "i" -- a cut-price sister title launched in 2010 -- to Scotland- based publisher Johnston Press.
The sale price is estimated at £25 million (32 million euros, $36 million), according to British media reports – money which will be invested in the website.
I ndependent. co. uk currently has nearly 70 million monthly global unique users, while ESI Media has also launched a new subscription app offering a 'virtual' print edition.
Some staff will move to the "i" but ESI Media warned there would be some redundancies.
Many reporters tried to stay upbeat on the final day. "Vain scramble for final-edition bylines begins," regular contributor Simon Usborne tweeted earlier.
Parliamentary sketch writer Tom Peck added: "The whiskey's out. Nothing would amuse me more than a massive breaking news story right now."