Independent Newsmedia, publisher of the Daily News-Sun and 10 community newspapers throughout the Valley, will rename several of its local publications to better identify all its products as published by a company whose mission is to provide objective and impartial journalism.

Beginning today, all of the company’s community publications in Arizona will carry the name “Independent” in their mastheads.

Three community newspapers — Glendale Today, Surprise Today and Peoria Today — will be renamed the Surprise Independent, Peoria Independent and Glendale Independent.

In addition, the Daily News-Sun is now the Daily Independent.

“The rebranding will give our publications a uniform look and help readers and advertisers throughout the Valley better connect all our publications as being published by Independent Newsmedia,” said Arizona Group Publisher Charlene Bisson.

“More importantly, the name better reflects our news values and the mission we’ve pursued for over 40 years here in the Valley of the Sun — that we are your nonpartisan and very independent hometown newspaper.”

The Independent purchased the newspapers, along with the Daily News-Sun, from 1013 Communications in July 2016. The Glendale, Peoria and Surprise publications were published under the “Today” names rather than the “Independent.”

“Readers have always been asking us to bring back the ‘Independent’ name since so many of them over the years know our name from our long history in the West Valley,” said Bret McKeand, Senior Executive Editor.

The company has been publishing the Sun City Independent since 1977 and the Sun City West Independent since 1987.

“Our name is synonymous with objective and impartial journalism,” said Mr. McKeand. “We’ve never editorialized and we don’t take sides.”

The name change for the Daily News-Sun — one of only two daily newspapers serving the Phoenix metropolitan area — is the first in the daily publication’s history.

The newspaper was founded by Syd Lambert in 1957 as the monthly Youngtown News. When Sun City opened in 1960, he changed the name to the Youngtown News and the Sun City Sun.

The newspaper was purchased by Burt Freireich shortly after Sun City opened and the newspaper became the News-Sun. The growth of the West Valley prompted the Freireich family to convert the weekly newspaper into an afternoon daily publication in October 1977.

The daily newspaper has gone through several different owners throughout the past four decades before being purchased by Independent Newsmedia in 2016.

The company has operated in Arizona since 1977, and also publishes community newspapers in Scottsdale, Town of Paradise Valley, Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, Queen Creek and Litchfield Park, as well as the monthly Sun Life Magazine that serves Buckeye, Goodyear, Peoria and Surprise. Arizona news is available 24/7 on YourValley.net.

Independent Newsmedia also owns Valley Newspapers, a state-of-the-art commercial printing plant. The company is owned by a nonprofit trust and designed to maintain independence. The organization has no shareholders, no dividends are paid and all after-tax profits are reinvested in its mission of impartial community journalism.

Editor’s note: Charlene Bisson can be reached at cbisson@newszap.com or followed on Twitter @Charlene_Bisson. For daily news delivered to your doorstep, learn more and subscribe at azdelivery@newszap.com or call 623-972-6101; or visit yourvalley.net to sign up online.