There was a time when Australians bought two newspapers a day.

The morning paper delivered the overnight news. The evening edition explained what had happened since breakfast and reflected on the events shaping the nation before people returned home.

As television grew, and later the internet and smartphones, many evening newspapers disappeared.

Ironically, the digital age has created the very conditions that make an evening edition relevant once again.

Today, Australians are surrounded by headlines. News alerts arrive throughout the day. Social media delivers an endless stream of updates. Television news channels operate around the clock.

Yet despite never having had greater access to information, many people finish the day asking a simple question:

What does it all mean?

That question is the reason we are expanding the Evening Times.

Rather than attempting to publish every story, every rumour or every press conference, our aim is different.

Each afternoon and evening, the Evening Times will focus on a small number of significant stories that deserve explanation, context and perspective.

Sometimes that will mean examining the economic consequences of a major government decision.

Sometimes it will involve analysing international developments and asking what they mean for Australia.

Sometimes it will be an evergreen feature that helps readers better understand the world around them, whether the subject is technology, business, health, travel or everyday life.

Our goal is not simply to report what happened.

Our goal is to explain why it matters.

That distinction is important.

Breaking news has become faster than ever. Understanding has not.

The return of the evening edition is our response to that reality.

As part of the growing Times Media network, the Evening Times complements rather than replaces our existing publications.

The Times continues to provide Australian news and analysis.

The Australasian examines Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region through a broader regional lens.

The Evening Times completes the day by helping readers understand the significance of the events they have already seen in the headlines.

This is not an attempt to recreate the newspapers of the past.

It is an effort to revive one of their best ideas.

Australians still want to know what happened.

Increasingly, they also want to understand why it matters.

That is the purpose of the Evening Times.

As each day draws to a close, we invite you to spend a few minutes with us. The headlines may already be familiar.

The insight, we hope, will not.

The Evening Times

You've seen the headlines. Now discover what they mean.

Greg Rogers
Publisher, Times Media