The Sun (United Kingdom)

The Sun is a tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1964 as a broadsheet and successor to the Daily Herald, it was relaunched as a tabloid in 1969. For more than 50 years, the paper's journalistic ethics have received much comment.

Selected headlines

• STICK IT UP YOUR JUNTA
  • On rejecting peace proposals before the Falklands War (20 April 1982), cited in "The Top 10: Headlines", The Independent (10 December 2018).

• GOTCHA!
  • Headline (in early editions, 4 May 1982) following the sinking of the Argentinian General Belgrano during the Falklands War.

• FREDDIE STARR ATE MY HAMSTER - Allegations about comedian Freddie Starr
  • Headline (13 March 1986).

• IT'S WALL OVER
  • The fall of the Berlin Wall (10 November 1989).

• THE TRUTH
  • Headline (19 April 1989) on a story about misbehaviour by Liverpool FC fans during the Hillsborough stadium disaster. The story led to a boycott of the paper on Merseyside which has yet to end.

• MRS T-EARS
  • On Margaret Thatcher's resignation (1990)

• IF KINNOCK WINS TODAY WILL THE LAST PERSON IN BRITAIN PLEASE TURN OUT THE LIGHTS
  • About Neil Kinnock and the 1992 general election

• IT WAS THE SUN WOT WON IT
  • Claim after John Major's victory (1992).

• UP YOURS DELORS
  • On President of the European Commission Jacques Delors.

• YANKS 2 PLANKS 0!
  • On the humiliating 2–0 defeat by the United States in the 1993 U.S. Cup (11 June 1993).

• THAT'S YER ALLOTMENT
  • On the resignation of England Manager Graham Taylor, after his side's failure to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup (24 November 1993).

• DINIZ IN THE OVEN
  • After Pedro Diniz's car caught fire during the Grand Prix of Argentina (1996).

• QUEEN HAS A RUBBER DUCK AND IT WEARS A CROWN
  • Queen Elizabeth II has a Rubber duck (October 2001).

• ZIP ME UP BEFORE YOU GO GO
  • After George Michael was arrested in a public toilet

• SPLIFF CLUB SEVEN
  • After the male members of S Club 7 were caught smoking a joint

• CLOBBA SLOBBA: OUR BOYS BATTER BUTCHER OF SERBIA IN NATO BLITZ
  • Bombing Yugoslavia.

• IS THIS THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN BRITAIN
  • Questioning Tony Blair's views on Europe (24 June 1998).

• IS THIS THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN EUROPE
  • Questioning Oskar Lafontaine's views, during the Euro debate (25 November 1998).

• NAIL THE BASTARD
  • After the body of Sarah Payne was found.

• BONKERS BRUNO LOCKED UP
  • Unpopular headline after Frank Bruno entered hospital with mental health problems.

• UP YOURS SEÑORS
  • After beating Argentina in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

• CHIRAC EST UN VER
  • "Chirac is a worm"; French edition, handed out free in France because of his anti Iraq War stance (February 2003).

• SHIP SHIP HOORAY
  • After the suicide of Harold Shipman (January 2004).

• FROM HITLER YOUTH TO PAPA RATZI
  • Joseph Ratzinger becomes Pope Benedict XVI (20 April 2005).

• TYRANT'S IN HIS PANTS
  • After publishing pictures of Saddam Hussein in his underpants (20 May 2005).

• ONE DOWN THREE TO GO
  • On the death of 27 year old Brazilian man Jean Charles de Menezes (23 July 2005).

Fictional Headlines

• KILL AN ARGIE WIN A METRO
  • Spoof Private Eye headline during the Falklands war, as cited in Roy Greenslade "A new Britain, a new kind of newspaper", The Guardian (25 February 2002).
  • According to Greenslade, then assistant editor of The Sun, then editor Kelvin MacKenzie commented in response: "Why didn't we think of that?"

• SCOTT OF PANTARTICA
  • From the film Notting Hill, when nude pictures of actress Anna Scott are found

Quotes about The Sun

• Sun readers don't care who runs the country as long as she's got big tits.
  • Yes, Prime Minister, Series 2 ep. 4:
  • From late 1970, the newspaper's Page 3 contained images of topless female models. The feature was finally discontinued in 2015 after many years of controversy.