A new independent media title covering culture, politics and tech
The Nerve is a fearless, female-founded media title set up by a collective of five former Guardian and Observer journalists who believe that the UK needs more truly independent journalism.
We met at the Observer’s flagship weekend culture supplement, the New Review - we are senior editors Sarah Donaldson, Jane Ferguson and Imogen Carter, creative director Lynsey Irvine and Carole Cadwalladr, investigative journalist, press freedom advocate and scourge of extreme Brexiteers.
Our beat is culture, politics and tech. We believe culture - made by humans for humans - is the best guide to understanding our increasingly chaotic world. So we’re putting it first. We will cover culture in its broadest sense - the arts, books, games, food - and how tech is dramatically altering our politics and our lives. We also promise to bring some joy. We will celebrate the best culture that lifts our spirits.
The seeds of the Nerve were sown while Guardian News & Media was in the process of giving away our publication - the Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday paper - to Tortoise Media. We thought about the kind of journalism that we desperately need now: independent, transparent, inclusive and fearless. So we decided to launch a title that the journalists themselves will own, that will promote diverse voices, and that we hope will have a deep and genuine connection with its members.
Journalism is expensive and we need your support. You may be familiar with one of our previous projects - we are the team behind the 2018 Cambridge Analytica investigation that shifted the world’s understanding of Silicon Valley. We’re now at a critical moment - big tech and the far right have merged - and your support to enable us to continue these investigations is vital. We are not having a paywall - we want our journalism to be open. Instead we will be funded by members. Please consider signing up here.
We have big ambitions but we’re starting small - with two batches of stories a week delivered to your inbox via our newsletter and published on our beta site. Every Tuesday you’ll receive our weekday newsletter and on Fridays our weekend edition. With your help, we hope to expand fast, with regular events, a biannual magazine launching in 2026, hard hitting investigations and a rollout of audio and video content.
We’ve been overwhelmed by the response we’ve had since we announced our plans. Our members are joining a community that includes contributing editors such as actor Adjoa Andoh, broadcaster Carol Vorderman, and photographer and filmmaker Misan Harriman; and journalists including former Observer columnists, comedian Stewart Lee and Philippa Perry, and critics such as Ellen E Jones and Dorian Lynskey. See the full team here.
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