According to their website:
The Independent has 1.3 million readers a week
The on-line edition gives 15 million page impressions per month
According to: ABC (Official circulation auditors for UK for all newspapers)
Nov 06:
Circulation: 253,737
Readership: 741,000 – Up 10.3% on same month previous year.
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So ... it's not journalists that make wild statements without facts.