Celebrating Great Journalism - 23 August

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.

Showing we’re on their side

Showing readers we’re on their side is a crucial part of what we do, and the Express has been doing just that with its campaign against the new Government’s plans to scrap winter fuel allowances for all but the worst-off pensioners. As Political Reporter Katie Harris revealed here, the plans impact 10m elderly people, many of whom have been left confused about what they are actually entitled to.

At the end of last week, courts minister Heidi Alexander praised journalists for ensuring that those involved in rioting around England and Northern Ireland were seen to be brought to justice, thanks to our court coverage.

Aftermath of the nationwide riots

Newsrooms across Reach continue to look at the aftermath of the violence. One of the more remarkable headlines came in this live blog from TeessideLive, which focused on people being sentenced, including one man who brought a hoover along to the violence.

The Manchester Evening News took a deep look at the disinformation, populism, discrimination and frustration behind the unrest and the impact it had on communities in this piece - headlined 'How did it come to this?'. Reporters spoke to people left terrified by the rioting and those who weren't really surprised.

The M.E.N. also went back to speak to Joyce Todd, a woman from Oldham, who they first spoke to in this piece from 2016 , just months before the Brexit referendum. Headlined 'Why are so many asylum seekers sent here without the money to pay for them?', it took a sometimes uncomfortable look at how the poorest areas of the country were struggling to cope.

In a second piece, the team looked at how disinformation fuelled the riots, and also the role of legitimate news sources in fact-checking during a night of planned riots that ended up being more notable for the scale of peaceful anti-racism protests. This piece quoted James Holt, the M.E.N.'s night reporter, who ran the blog on that night. It also explores how and why the disinformation spread. It was produced by Crime Reporter John Scheerhout and Features Editor Chris Osuh.

Court coverage remains hugely important to our readers. The article that engaged readers for longest this month so far is ChronicleLive’s round-up of court cases from July - including multiple murderers locked up for life.

The football season gets underway

For many readers, the biggest topic of the past few days has been the start of the new football season.

Across Reach’s sports teams, journalists have been looking at the impact of a new Sky TV deal, which means 1,000 lower league football matches will be broadcast this year.

The mini content campaign around Sky Sports' increased live TV coverage of the EFL has struck a chord with fans, setting the agenda and sparking debate - including from a League Two chairman.

Reach's business of football expert, Dave Powell, and club correspondents, Alex Dicken (Birmingham City), Leigh Curtis (Derby County), Barry Cooper (Hull City), Beren Cross (Leeds United), Craig Johns (Middlesbrough) and Pete Smith (Stoke City), wrote a series of articles this week looking at the impact the new arrangement will have on clubs and their fanbases.

In his scene-setting piece, Dave Powell revealed his fear that we are slowly seeing the erosion of the English pyramid, writing: "We should be doing more to encourage attending live matches, not providing more ways not to go."

And finally, Senior Reporter Adam Cailler’s interview with wrestler Chris Jericho, who will be at the O2 Islington Academy with his band Fozzy tonight ahead of defending his FTW title at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, is a great example of finding new audiences and serving their passions. You can see it on the Daily Star’s YouTube channel here.

Thanks for reading, we’ll be back with more highlights next week.