Forty years is a remarkable achievement. But it is also a double-edged moment. An anniversary can tempt us to look backwards with satisfaction, to polish the silver, admire the laurels and congratulate ourselves on having made it this far. We should certainly celebrate the extraordinary journalism, the debates we started, the investigations and above all the people who have brought The Independent to this point.
But the anniversary is not a resting place. It should be a launching pad. The most fitting way to mark 40 years is not to ask how we survived – but what we are going to do next.
