The Examiner was a prominent, radical British weekly newspaper founded in 1808 by the printer John Hunt and his brother, the writer and critic Leigh Hunt. Operating under the core mission to pursue "truth for its sole object," the publication became one of the most influential political and intellectual journals of the Romantic era.  John Hunt managed the physical printing, publishing, and business operations, while Leigh Hunt served as the primary editor and chief writer.  Subtitled "A Sunday paper, on politics, domestic economy, and theatricals," it provided completely independent reporting and refused to print advertisements to protect its impartial perspective.

   The newspaper became a vital platform for British Romanticism, famously introducing or defending the works of iconic writers like John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and William Hazlitt. According to political philosopher John Stuart Mill, it served as the "principal representative, in the newspaper press, of radical opinion."  It fiercely advocated for parliamentary changes, criminal law reform, Catholic emancipation, and the absolute abolition of the slave trade.  The Hunts printed a reminder at the top of every issue noting that half of the paper's retail cost was a direct result of the government's "tax on knowledge."  In 1812, the brothers published a stinging article criticizing the Prince Regent (the future King George IV). They were convicted of seditious libel, fined £500, and sentenced to two years in prison. Proving his dedication, Leigh Hunt famously continued editing and writing for The Examiner directly from his prison cell.

   The Hunt brothers owned and operated the journal until 1828, when it was sold to Albany Fonblanque. Under subsequent editors like Fonblanque and John Forster, it expanded into a massive sixteen-page cultural journal. The Examiner continued publication under various owners until it finally ceased operations in 1881.