Celebrating Great Journalism - 1 November
Welcome to our weekly round-up of impactful journalism from across our 120+ trusted brands, from national titles like the Mirror, Express, Daily Record and Daily Star, to local brands like MyLondon, BelfastLive and the Manchester Evening News, as well as our US-based brands.
This week’s newsletter is brought to you by David Higgerson, Chief Digital Publisher, in a week where our teams broke the story of Labour MP Mike Amesbury’s 3am altercation, helped readers understand what the new budget means for them, and there was good news for two campaigns backed by our local titles.
Labour Government’s first budget
As Chancellor Rachel Reeves made Wednesday’s historic budget announcement, our newsrooms were quick to focus on what the budget meant for different groups of readers as well as covering the news as it unfolded.
At the Express, Senior Personal Finance Reporter Katie Elliott’s preview of what could have been on the table was the best-read budget article before Wednesday. Live blog coverage on the day proved particularly popular with loyal Express readers, presented by Katie along with News Reporter Jon King, Home Affairs and Defence Editor Michael Knowles, and Environment Editor Steph Spyro.
At the Mirror, live coverage of the budget by News Reporter Chiara Fiorillo and Assistant News Editor Joseph Gamp was followed by a large number of readers. Political Correspondent Dave Burke’s round-up of all the key changes was also very popular.
Local lines also delivered around the country. At the Manchester Evening News, Senior Reporter Stephen Topping reviewed DWP changes, at BelfastLive Political Reporter James McCarthy rounded up the impacts in Northern Ireland and at WalesOnline, Education Editor Abbie Wightwick summed up what the budget meant for Wales.
MP Mike Amesbury in altercation
On Saturday, our teams in Manchester, Liverpool and London worked together to break the story of the Labour MP Mike Amesbury, who had an altercation with a constituent following a late-night discussion about a bridge closure. Widely picked up across the industry, it became a talking point when the Government hoped to be talking about the budget.
Manchester United sacks Erik Ten Hag
A number of our titles stood out with coverage of Erik Ten Hag’s dismissal from Manchester United. The M.E.N.’s Chief Manchester United writer Samuel Luckhurst wrote the untold story of Ten Hag’s sacking, which was our most engaging article of the week.
The Mirror’s live blog of events since Monday’s announcement by Sports Trends Writer Tom Victor has also been widely read.
Backing local campaigns
There was good news for the Liverpool Echo this week. It has backed a campaign to save Zoe’s Place baby hospice, which received a £2.5m boost from the owners of Home Bargains this week. This takes the much-needed facility almost to its £5m savings target in just a few weeks. As Political Editor Liam Thorp reported, the race is on to raise the final £1m in the next fortnight.
Meanwhile, the M.E.N. has backed a fundraiser to keep the historic Salford Lad’s Club open. This also received a massive boost when Morrissey, who made the venue globally famous with his band, The Smiths, donated £50k this week. The £250k target is now well within sight.
If you’re looking for a new podcast series to listen to, then Back from the Brink, presented by the Mirror’s Cecilia Adamou, is well worth your time.
In this series, Cecilia talks to extraordinary people who all have one thing in common - a profound and life-altering, near death experience. Seven episodes are so far live, with Mirror photographer Phil Coburn, whose assignment in Afghanistan in 2010 ended in life-changing injuries, speaking about his experiences in episode four.
Thanks for reading, we’ll be back with more highlights next week.