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Still a celebration: Local Newspaper Week

More special features, events, competitions and reader offers have been highlighted by the Newspaper Society for Local Newspaper Week, which ran from May 5-11.

Politicians, celebrities, community figures and businesses were interviewed – or wrote columns themselves – acknowledging the important role of their local paper and celebrating its campaigning work.

Local Newspaper Week was widely discussed in the media and recognised on the political stage.

A speech delivered by the Prime Minister at the Newspaper Society’s Annual Luncheon, in which he praised the regional press and its important role in the community, received widespread coverage.

And Colchester MP Bob Russell tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons which has so far been signed by 38 MPs.

The motion said: “This House recognises the important role which local newspapers play in the life of their communities; congratulates The Newspaper Society for launching Local Newspaper Week, notes that the regional press is read by 40 million people every week, acknowledges that local newspapers are more trusted than national newspapers and calls on those who own and work on the 1,300 daily and weekly newspaper titles to promote high journalist standards of accuracy, fairness, honesty and objectivity.”

Trinity Mirror used the backdrop of Local Newspaper Week to announce the results of the largest readership survey in the history of the regional press. It will use responses from over 34,000 interviews with readers to ensure its 170 regional and local newspaper titles retain their relevance and appeal.

In other areas:

  • The News & Star (West Cumbria) took its most loyal reader out to dinner while the Leamington Evening Telegraph found a lady who had read every copy of the paper for 75 years.
  • The Ormskirk Advertiser looked at how readers had played a part in petitioning for improved health facilities in the area and demonstrated the valuable role their readers play by launching a readers’ bank – a database of readers willing to talk to the paper about local issues they are knowledgeable about.
  • Reader events and open days were held at many offices including the Cheadle Post & Times and the Formby Times.
  • The South Wales Echo really wanted to get the community involved so it held its news conferences in a public library along with an exhibition of historic front pages and photographs.
  • The Nuneaton & Rugby Evening Telegraph toured their circulation area in a centenary van used in 1891, meeting readers and handing out goodies.
  • The Ledbury Reporter and Malvern Gazette published an eight-page pull out supplement full of competitions to win thousands of pounds worth of prizes donated by local businesses as part of Local Newspaper Week.
  • The Selby Times used the Week to launch a new crossword quiz for readers to win cash and meals out and the Grimsby Target launched Link Word – a new reader competition.
  • The Liverpool Echo ran a Young Journalist of the Year competition.
  • The Coventry Evening Telegraph re-launched its Insight magazine written by young people for young people and launched an associated website.
  • The Sunderland Echo ran a Young Newshound of the Year competition with a computer prize and the Gazette and Herald ran a Hold the Front Page competition for schools.
  • Delivery people and retailers were interviewed and rewarded for their important work – many newspapers, like the Sunderland Echo, gave readers the chance to nominate their favourite newspaper delivery boy or girl to win a mountain bike.

    Do you have a story about the regional press? Ring 0116 227 3122/3121,
    or e-mail [email protected]

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    ©NEP 2003