The paper will offer those feeling dismayed and disenfranchised by Brexit a non-political focal point, bringing together the extraordinarily broad spectrum of people who feel a real sense of loss after the Leave vote victory, says Archant.
Conceived as a “pop-up paper” aiming to capture the zeitgeist and act as a chronicle for the extraordinary events of the summer of 2016, the title will be delivered to market faster than any other British newspaper in history - just nine days from concept to newsagent.
According to the publishers, The New European represents both a markedly different approach in terms of content and readership, but also a wholly new business model for print and its place in an increasingly digital world.
The newspaper will initially run for just four issues, with any subsequent print runs being decided by reader interest. Every issue will be a collector’s item. After the fourth issue, every week’s sale will be a referendum on the next.
Available nationwide via the website, the paper’s retail distribution will be focused on London, Liverpool, Manchester, the south of England and other strongly remain voting areas.
The first issue will contain exclusive articles from leading voices in the UK and Europe, including:
• Tanit Koch, Editor of Bild, Europe’s most-read newspaper
• Saul Klein, leading European VC and partner with LocalGlobe
• James Brown, former Loaded and GQ editor
• Wolfgang Blau, ex editor of Zeit Online and former digital director of The Guardian
• Simon Calver, partner with BGF Ventures and former CEO of Mothercare and LoveFilm
• Annabelle Dickson, leader of the Westminster political lobby for regional newspapers
• Football writers Steve Anglesey and Paddy Davitt
• Peter Bale, CEO of the of the Centre for Public Integrity who broke the Panama Papers global exclusive
• Ahmed Osman, renowned European fashion writer
Matt Kelly, Chief Content Officer of Archant and launch editor of The New European, said: “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% who voted to Remain are not well served by the traditional press and that there is a clear opportunity for a newspaper like The New European that people will want to read and carry like a badge of honour.
“We value 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.”
Kelly, formerly Publisher of Mirror Group Digital and director of international design agency Cases i Associats, added: “It will be an eclectic and energetic mix of content - not just about the Brexit issue, but a celebration of why we loved Europe so much in the first place. There’ll be plenty of humour in there too - god knows we could all use a laugh these days.”
Will Hattam, CMO, Archant, said: “This isn't just another national newspaper, it's a new type of publishing product. As a pop-up publishing project this is a truly innovative approach to reaching new audience segments by extending our established expertise in creating high-quality, engaging content into new areas.
"What's exciting is that the story of this paper isn't yet written - its sprung into life, driven by the events of the last few weeks, and will continue to serve its audience as long as they want it to. There's no ongoing commitment, just an opportunity to explore new boundaries in newspaper publishing."
The New European will be published by Archant and will be priced at £2 per issue.
