Although Radikal did not endorse a particular political alignment, it was generally considered by the public to be a social liberal newspaper.

[2] Radikal was founded in 1996, and "within a decade ... had become one of the most influential newspapers in the country, especially renowned for its top-drawer columnists and its coverage of intellectual debates".

[4][5] In 2007, Serkan Özkaya, Orhan Pamuk and Sezen Aksu each became 'Radikal's temporary editors-in-chief for a day.

Later in 2010 the paper moved to a tabloid format and introduced new columnists Dilek Kurban of TESEV, Cüneyt Özdemir, and Sırrı Süreyya Önder.

On 4 April 2016, its columnists published their farewell articles on its webpage, reflecting on Radikal's past 20 years.