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The editor and media entrepeneur changed the landscape of British journalism over his decades-long career
Tara CobhamSunday 30 November 2025 18:29 GMTComments
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Andreas Whittam Smith, the former editor who co-founded The Independent and changed the landscape of British journalism over his decades-long career, has died aged 88.
The pioneering editor died on Saturday, his family said in a statement.
Whittam Smith was the early driving force behind The Independent, the broadsheet he launched in 1986 as an antidote to the entrenched partisanship of Fleet Street. Under his stewardship, the newspaper won a devoted readership with its commitment to neutrality, intellectual rigour, and clean, modern design, with clarity and depth chosen over sensationalism.
He had worked in finance and public service, but it was in the media industry in particular where his influence will be keenly felt long after his death.
He was knighted in 2015 for his services to the media and public life in recognition of his remarkable contributions and his legacy of courage, independence and championing of the truth.
open image in galleryAndreas Whittam Smith holding a copy of the first official The Independent newspaper (The Independent)The Independent’s editor-in-chief, Geordie Greig, said: “All of the staff of The Independent, past and present, are deeply saddened to hear of the death of our founder Andreas Whittam Smith.
“By co-founding The Independent as an antidote to corporate conformity and lack of free expression and individuality in British newspapers Andreas Whittam Smith not only broke the mould, he was a heroic crusader for a global freedom for all press.
“His zeal for journalism caught the imagination of the whole nation and established a global brand which has never stopped fighting for journalism that wasn’t beholden to entrenched political or economic interests.
“He did so with a dapper charm, steely persuasion and unconquerable desire to be on the side of truth. When I once asked him if he had any advice as I became Editor of The Independent he extolled the importance of imagination as much as endeavour. He brought both in spades to The Independent, which is about to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his creation.”
Born in Altrincham, Cheshire, in June 1937, Whittam Smith attended Birkenhead School before studying at Oxford University, where he read Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
After carrying out his national service as an infantryman where he guarded Spandau Prison in Berlin, Whittam Smith began in finance, working at the stockbroking firm Laurence Prust before making the move into journalism.
He began in financial journalism at The Investors Chronicle, before later holding senior editorial roles at The Daily Telegraph and The Financial Times, where he gained a reputation as a sharp and analytical business editor.
At the time, the British press was increasingly polarised and partisan – an environment out of which the bold idea to launch a national newspaper independent of any party or proprietorial influence was born.
open image in galleryFittingly, the 87-year-old was knighted in 2015 for his services to the media and public life in recognition of his remarkable contributions and his legacy of courage, independence and championing of the truth (AFP via Getty Images)Whittam Smith, along with colleagues Matthew Symonds and Stephen Glover, launched The Independent in 1986 with the memorable masthead: “It is. Are you?”, bursting onto the publishing scene to much acclaim.
Under Whittam Smith’s unassuming but determined leadership, bold editorial decisions were made, major stories were broken, and talented journalists were nurtured, including foreign correspondents Robert Fisk and Patrick Cockburn, bringing a global reputation to the newspaper that has only grown over the years.
After stepping down as editor of The Independent in 1993, Whittam Smith was appointed president of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) in 1998 and became the first Church Estates Commissioner four years later.
Meanwhile, he continued to write and comment on political and economic affairs, contributing to The Independent right up until the years just before his death.
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