The history of local newspapers in Reading dates back to the 18th century. The first newspaper to be published in the town was the Reading Mercury (or Weekly Entertainer), first issued on Monday 8th July 1723 and founded by the then mayor of Reading, John Watts, whose grave can be found in St Lawrence’s graveyard behind the town hall. 

The Mercury was a weekly newspaper that covered national news, events, and advertisements. It was published until 1958, when it was merged with the Reading Post.

The Post itself was founded in 1856 as the Reading Standard, a daily newspaper. The Post was published until 2014, when it ceased publication in print and became an online-only newspaper.

The third major local newspaper established in Reading was the Reading Chronicle, which was founded in 1860. The Chronicle is a weekly newspaper that covers local news, events, and advertisements and is, of course, still published today despite passing through several owners over the years.

Simon Edgley was the Regional |Director of Reach plc (then Trinity Mirror) when the decision was made to close the print paper in 2014. He is now a Director of inReading's parent company and comments on the news that Berkshire Live was being being shuttered by Reach in 2023: