Sun on Sunday pledges ‘trust and decency’

Rupert Murdoch’s newest newspaper launched with a familiar mix of celebrity news, scantily clad women and defiant language.

The first Sunday edition of The Sun has hit news stands with a pledge of “trust” and “decency”, following the damaging phone hacking scandal.

Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch personally supervised the final stages of production of the new title which promised readers it would remain “fearless, outspoken, mischievous and fun”.

The newspaper claimed that it would hold all journalists to account and said it had appointed a readers’ champion to deal with errors and feedback from the public.

In an editorial, the newspaper also commented on the arrests of 10 current and former employees over alleged corrupt payments to public officials, saying they were “innocent until proven guilty”.

It said that the closure of its sister paper the News of the World, which ceased publication last July at the height of the hacking scandal, was a “sobering experience”.

In an editorial, titled: A new Sun rises today, it said: “As we launch the seven day Sun, we want to strengthen that connection (with the readers) with a new independent Sun Readers’ Champion to accept feedback and correct significant errors.

“Our journalists must abide by the Press Complaints Commission’s editors code, the industry standard for ethical behaviour, and the News Corporation standards of business conduct.”

The front page of the new title featured an exclusive interview with Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, the first since her daughter’s birth, which left her in a critical condition in hospital.

The story is headlined: “My Heart Stopped For 40 Seconds”, and is accompanied by a picture of Holden cradling her daughter Hollie.

Holden, 40, a mother of two, was in a critical condition for three days after giving birth to Hollie in January.

She told the newspaper she was “moments from death” and describes her ordeal in an interview spread over five pages.

The newspaper, which contains 92 pages and a 28-page football pull-out, features a topless photo of singer Kelly Rowland on Page 3, but the X Factor judge is covering her modesty.

Mr Murdoch, 80, went to the paper’s printers in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, on Saturday night to witness the new Sunday tabloid roll off the press for the first time.

It is understood that 3m copies of the paper were printed overnight and Mr Murdoch said he would be “very happy” if his new paper exceed two million copies and enjoyed success similar to the NotW.

News International bosses have recruited celebrity columnists including Katie Price and Nancy Dell’Olio for its latest title, while the Archbishop of York and chef Heston Blumenthal will have weekly slots.