[1] Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant population",[3] while also being read within Catholic nationalist communities in Northern Ireland.

It was first published as the Belfast Evening Telegraph on 1 September 1870 by brothers William and George Baird.

Its first edition cost half a penny and ran to four pages covering the Franco-Prussian War and local news.

Local editions were published for distribution to Enniskillen, Dundalk, Newry, and Derry.

[citation needed] Sometimes described as having "unionist leanings",[8] and operating an editorial policy supportive of "moderate unionism",[9] the Belfast Telegraph was bought by the Dublin-based Independent News & Media group in March 2000.