obsolescence , while digital news , with it ’ s unlimited possibilities , would grow and grow . And the Guardian would be part of the revolution .
However , as Gitelman ( 2006 ) observes , the introduction of a new media form is far more often reactionary , rather than the revolution it might seem . The success of new media is the result of many forces : socio-economic viability , technological possibility , and a wider social readiness to accept their newness . The sustainability of a new media form ultimately depends on the society that must accept it . It cannot be forced prematurely , not rushed . New media must respond to its environment , reacting and adapting to changes , if it is to become established and persist . This meant that , for all Rusbridger ’ s optimism , the success of the Guardian ’ s online venture lay in the hands of its audience .
This reactionary pattern of development can be seen throughout the Guardian ’ s history . Founded as the Manchester Guardian in 1821 , the Guardian began as a politically moderate newspaper , advocating for the rights of mill owners and focusing on issues local to Manchester . However , following a growth in public socialist sentiment and the instating of C . P . Scott as editor in 1872 , the Manchester Guardian began to present a more left-wing perspective . Over the following years , the newspaper supported contentious causes like the movement for women ’ s suffrage , and famously opposed Franco ’ s nationalists in the Spanish Civil War . These radical views were rarely presented in British newspapers at the time , and resulted in the Manchester Guardian receiving a national audience . Accordingly , the newspaper ’ s name was changed to simply “ The Guardian ” in 1959 , and in 1961 the Guardian moved its headquarters to London , where they have remained ever since . Due to public demand , the
Guardian was now a national paper .
To demonstrate the opposite , in the later 20th century , the Guardian experimented with different new forms of media , including taking control of several radio channels . However , these failed to find an audience and were subsequently abandoned . When jumping before the conditions were right , these new forms of communication failed to take hold .
Audience reception and engagement is integral to the development of any new form of media , and also to the persistence of existing media forms . Media is , after all , simply communication – it requires an audience to communicate with . When your business relies on an existing media form , any audience-related turbulence is particularly damaging . When Rusbridger took over as editor of the Guardian in 1995 , the outlook for print newspapers was already bad . Audiences were shrinking and print classified advertising was “ doomed ” ( Rusbridger , 2021 ). A later internal model suggested that the Guardian would run out of money by 2012-13 if significant changes weren ’ t made .
At the same time , the internet was taking hold across the western world . More and more households had access to a home computer and the internet , and this was rapidly altering the way people engaged with media . By 1999 , The Daily Telegraph and The Times both offered online versions . It was into this environment that the Guardian launched Guardian Unlimited on 25th January , 1999 . A contemporary BBC News report describes the features of the initial website :
“ The news site features all of the daily paper content and adds its own publications at noon and 5pm each day . It has a 15-strong editorial team to provide specific Internet input and features " News
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