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The first mass-produced, cheap-enough-for-everyone newspaper on the Sto Plains, quite possibly also the first for the entire Discworld.

• Head reporters: William de Worde and Sacharissa Cripslock.
• Head iconographer: Otto Chriek.
• Political cartoonist: Mr. Fizz.
• Literary critic: Mr. Tuppence Swivel.
• Dwarfs behind the scenes: Mr. Gunilla Goodmountain & Co. working the printing presses.
• Affiliates: Foul Ole Ron and the Canting Crew selling the newspaper on the streets.
• Sports Correspondent:- Rocky.
• Complaints, Beheadings and Horsewhippings Editor;- Mr. Rocky.
• Obituarist:- Mr Bendy.
• Opinion Columnist: Miss Tilly.
• Gossip Columnist: Mr O'Biscuit.
• Crossword Compiler:- "Puzzler"
• Archivist and Back Numbers department: Ms. Berenice Houser.

The Times offices and printing presses are located in Gleam Street.

The Times is now a far-reaching newspaper, reporting even wars in Borogravia, and commenting on which country was the aggressor, which was attacked without good reason, and what sorts of refugees will be showing up in Ankh-Morpork. Many ordinary Ankh-Morporkian citizens buy the Times every day, not because they have particular things of which they want to be kept informed, but because they are interested in news of, in Miss Cripslock's words, human interest. In a fashion similar to the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, the Times is able to upset powerful people by finding out about things. Powerful people here include Commander Vimes of the City Watch, although he doesn't like to think of himself as such. The Times also publishes readers' letters of opinions, including the more extreme Views. The Times runs an advertisement column as well, for things such as humorously-shaped vegetables, man looking for his lost watch, and so on.

History

For quite a few years, young William de Worde had been writing a one-sheet newsletter, one edition per month, which he sent to foreign dignitaries who like to keep up with the happenings in Ankh-Morpork, for a few dollars (from each client) a month. Clients included: Lady Margolotta von Überwald, the Duke of Sto Helit, King Verence II of Lancre, and the Seriph of Al Khali. This newsletter was produced by William writing the newsletter carefully, tracing it onto a block of boxwood, and paying old Mr. Cripslock (grandfather of Sacharissa) to engrave the boxwood so the words can be printed on a few sheets of paper. This newsletter was expensive because of this difficulty in production, and because William had not been able to grasp the idea of expanding the market*.

One night, William met Mr. Goodmountain & Co. who were bringing into Ankh-Morpork a printing press, with little metal letters that can be arranged together to print something and then taken apart for future use. Moveable type had been banned in Ankh-Morpork for several reasons, and people have always paid high rates to the engravers (who, like many other professions, have a guild).

• The wizards in Unseen University were worried that metal letters used to print a book about magic might carry some of the magic to the next things they print, maybe a cookbook, and that would be real trouble. (Indeed, the wizards have since set up the Unseen University Press to capitalise on moveable type, and have discovered this sort of fear was too well-founded...)
• Lord Vetinari, the Patrician, felt that information was too valuable to be spread everywhere; he was certain that knowing too much would only upset people.

Vetinari ended up ordering William to oversee the press. Mr. Goodmountain taught William how to lower the price so more people could afford the newspaper. After a few struggles with various business competitors and shadowy figures whose underhanded dealings were being investigated by William for newsreporting purposes, the Ankh-Morpork Times became an established business and a regular, daily newspaper. More reporters were hired.

Sometimes, William uses the clacks to get news from the other cities or confirm the nonexistance of mythical news such as Lancre woman gives birth to snake. William firmly believes that many of the things reported to him are made up, things such as heir to the throne of Ankh-Morpork is working as a Watchman or there is a werewolf in the City Watch. William changed his view on the latter piece after meeting Corporal Nobby Nobbs, a completely misdirected suspicion.

• Interestingly enough, this was presaged by the entry on William de Worde in the very first edition of the Discworld Companion (pub. 1994). This was published quite some time before The Truth (pub. 2000), and managed to drop a very big hint that William would be a key player in a forthcoming Discworld book. TP's actual words in the 1994 edition were:-

It could well be that the future holds great things for young de Worde...