Celebrating Great Journalism - 15 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.
After US politics dominated last week’s news, our newsrooms have been focusing on their usual mission of speaking up for communities and delivering innovative and interesting digital content to serve our audiences.
Speaking up for communities
Mirror Reporter Martin Fricker has been in Anguilla this week, sharing a series of articles after speaking with the family of Shawn Seesahai, who was stabbed to death by one of Britain’s youngest knife killers. It’s a tragic story and a powerful reminder of the role journalism plays in amplifying voices that wouldn’t otherwise be heard.?
This week, BirminghamLive took the lead on reporting after prime murder suspect John Cannan died in prison. This included a run of exclusives including this one about a 'saying' victim Suzy Lamplugh's family remembers her by.
At the Liverpool Echo there was cause for celebration this week after the campaign to save Zoe’s Place baby hospice reached its target of ￡5m raised in just a few weeks. The Echo has been at the heart of the fundraising activity as the region pulled together to save a vital service.
BirminghamLive regularly reports on the plethora of Michelin-star restaurants in the city but when one collapsed, with a Saturday Kitchen star at the helm, they spoke to people who faced losing hundreds of pounds.
MTV Music Awards
On Sunday, the MTV music awards were held in Manchester. The Manchester Evening News team of What’s On Editor Jenna Campbell, Lifestyle Editor Dianne Bourne, Reporter James Holt, Video Producer Michael Oni, Audience Editor Emma Mountford, Video Producer Andrew Stuart and others planned and executed their events coverage superbly.?
Highlights included this colourful first person piece giving a glimpse behind the velvet rope at the afterparty, an accompanying photo story and a wrap up on what the event meant for Manchester as the eyes of millions were on the city. A solid search plan also included stories on performers, nominees, how to watch and the full list of winners, alongside more live coverage including a live blog and red carpet galleries.??
Christmas markets get underway
Christmas markets aren’t just big business for city centres - interest in them is strong on our websites too, with almost 2m page views. When Birmingham's opened at the start of November, the BirminghamLive team provided readers with plenty of useful information including food and drink prices, and opening times, travel warnings, an explainer on rules - including a controversial drink limit - and a temporary closure of stalls.
Manchester's markets also opened over the weekend. Prices were the biggest win for the M.E.N. with a full price list for food and drink at every location and how much a bratwurst hotdog and pint of beer costs. They also talked to stallholders about the rent hikes that have driven the rise of ￡9.50 sausages and published this first-person piece questioning the value for money.
Growing our social and digital content
Social video is an important way for us to get our journalism and brands to new audiences. The Express reached an important milestone on its Youtube channel this week, passing 100,000 subscribers. Daniel Dove in the Reach Studio team took on the channel in May when it had 39,000 subscribers.
This week, our Division Bell podcast went live for a special episode broadcast from Canary Wharf, with four panellists - Kevin Maguire and Mikey Smith from the Mirror, and Sam Lister and Dan Townend from the Express - butting heads on all things political.
Our Data Unit launched one of their biggest projects to date this week - a map and details of 1,000 unsolved murders around the UK. You can see it on the Mirror here. It’s a brilliant example of journalism across platforms, and a special standalone true crime special is available in shops now.
Thanks for reading, we’ll be back with more highlights next week.