November 16, 2010; Source: The Independent | Would you buy a newspaper edited by Sir Elton John? Would it tempt you more if you knew all proceeds from the paper’s sales will go to charity? A British publisher is hoping that the musician-singer’s star power, combined with a promise to give away all the revenues, will cause people to run to the newsstands on December 1 for copies of a special Worlds Aids Day edition of The Independent and its newly launched sister paper, i.

Money collected from sales of the special edition that Sir Elton will edit will go to his charity, the Elton John Aids Foundation. Sir Elton sees his forthcoming stint as editor for a day serving a two-fold purpose. In addition to helping raise funds for his charity, it provides the “chance to put the subject of Aids at the top of the editorial agenda.”

The upcoming World’s Aids Day Edition follows a 2006 experiment when The Independent published a RED issue that Bono edited to raise money to help fight Aids in Africa. That edition sold an additional 70,000 copies. According to The Independent, as editor, Sir Elton will commission news, features, and commentary focused on Worlds Aids Day.—Bruce Trachtenberg