Celebrating Great Journalism - 8 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 when Donald Trump’s re-election as US President dominated coverage, and the Express and Manchester Evening News both launched new campaigns.
Donald Trump elected US President
This week’s big story has been, of course, the dramatic election victory secured by Donald Trump in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Teams on both sides of the Atlantic worked around the clock to provide compelling live coverage as well as the latest analysis as events unfolded.
In the run up to polling day, the Mirror’s Deputy Political Editor went undercover at rallies for both candidates, Health Editor Hanna Geissler on the Express US website spoke to voters in Philadelphia on what they thought of Kamala Harris, and followed up with a brilliant vox pop on reactions to the result.
Express Investigations Editor Zak Garner-Purkis reported on the bitter divisions he encountered in rural Wisconsin, and at the Irish Star, Fionnuala Boyle also got an exclusive interview with a lawyer who defended Trump in court.
The Mirror’s front page from 2016, showing the Statue of Liberty with head in her hands, remains very well remembered. Fast forward eight years and the Mirror’s Art Director Adele Brearley produced a ‘digital cover’ for social media drawing inspiration from that:
During Wednesday, the Mirror’s Associate Editor Kevin Maguire warned of a ‘nightmare crash’ once Trump was back in charge, while on the Express Personal Finance Editor Harvey Jones looked at the financial impact of the result.
On the Daily Record, Political Editor Paul Hutcheon said the win was a ‘warning’ for Sir Keir Starmer about the importance of delivering for voters, and body language experts told the Daily Star they believed Donald Trump knew ‘he’d got away with something.’.
On Express.com, Reporter Housnia Shams reported on why experts believe racism and sexism meant Kamala Harris never stood a chance, while the Express also hosted political commentator Peggy Grande’s column arguing that Donald Trump isn’t a threat to democracy.
New campaigns at the Express and Manchester Evening News?
Elsewhere this week, two campaigns have been launched. The Express launched a The Save Britain's Family Farms campaign after Labour’s inheritance tax plans were announced at the Budget. Steph Spyro from the Parliamentary team and Assistant Editor Sam Stevenson were inundated with reaction from farming families affected.?
The M.E.N., meanwhile, launched a campaign to demand mandatory prison sentences for people who breach restraining orders, on the first anniversary of the killing of Wigan woman Caroline Gore by abusive former partner, David Liptrot, who was on such an order at the time. You can sign the petition here.
Around the UK
On the Mirror this week, a remarkable investigation from Investigations Editor Nick Sommerlad, working with Channel 4 Dispatches, appeared in the Mirror at the weekend.
It exposed how properties owned by Prince William were mouldy, and also hard to heat.? That’s despite the Duchy that he now controls making ￡91m in profits over the past four years.
Elsewhere, Nick also broke the story of how Gary Lineker was locked in a battle with residents in part of London over his plans to build ‘rabbit hutch’ homes on a tiny pocket of land - which have been approved by the local council at the third attempt.
At MyLondon, Senior Local Democracy Reporter Adrian Zorzut’s story about a couple who have lost ￡25k after their basement flat was illegally sublet on Airbnb is a remarkable read.
In Nottingham this week, details of a worrying rise in stabbings have emerged, thanks to the NottinghamshireLive team. Senior Reporter Joel Moore revealed the city’s hospital has treated 200 people for stab wounds in the last 12 months, with medics warning of a big spike in cases involving teenagers.
BristolLive this week remembered the life and campaigns of Paul Stephenson, following his death at the age of 87. Bristol’s first black social worker, he was at the forefront of campaigning and activism in the city, and played a key role in a 60-day boycott of buses in 1963 after the bus company refused to hire a young man from Jamaica. He was also a Pride of Britain award winner in 2017.?
Irish Mirror Crime Correspondent Paul Healy provided live updates from the first day of Conor McGregor's High Court hearing, where he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a hotel in Dublin. When the court adjourned, Paul rushed home to film a special edition of the Shattered Lives podcast with co-host Michael O'Toole.
And finally, in Belfast a gridlocked city centre has been frustrating commuters since the summer. The BelfastLive team this week kicked off a series speaking to people from various sectors, asking what they would do to get the city moving again. Both Monday and Tuesday's interviews were highly popular and resulted in thousands of responses in our poll. The team plan to collate all the suggestions and questions and put them to the Department for Infrastructure to try to make real change.
Thanks for reading, we’ll be back with more highlights next week.