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New editor takes charge at regional daily

A new editor has been appointed at a North West regional daily after the existing news chief stepped up to become managing director.

James Higgins, left, has been promoted to the editor’s role at the North West Evening Mail after nearly four years as deputy editor.

The promotion follows the appointment of the current editor and publisher, Jonathan Lee, to the newly-created role of managing director.

Both will take up their new roles on Monday, 7 July.

James joined the Evening Mail in 2010 from the Bolton News where he had been assistant editor and has also worked for the Blackpool Gazette, Lancashire Evening Post and Oldham Advertiser.

He said: “I have hugely enjoyed the last four years at the Evening Mail and now look forward to working with our talented team as we enter an exciting phase in the development of our traditional and emerging platforms.

“It is an honour and privilege to be entrusted with the editorship of a newspaper which truly is at the heart of the communities it serves.

“I will now make it my work to ensure those links are further strengthened through fair, honest and campaigning journalism.”

Jonathan, right, added: “I am delighted that James will be taking the Evening Mail forward in what promises to be an exciting future.

“It has been a privilege to be editor of the Evening Mail and I thank everyone for the tremendous support I have received over the last six years.

“I wish James every success in what is a great job in a great part of the country.

“I am now looking forward to taking on a new challenge to grow the business in the digital age.”

Robin Burgess, chief executive of parent company the CN Group said: “We are at an important time in the regional media industry and I am confident that we have a team well placed to meet the challenges we will face, and maximise opportunities that will arise in a truly multi-media, multi-platform age.

“It is important that we continue to grow and nurture talent to lead us through the transformation in a fast-changing industry.

“We are committed to being at the heart of the communities we serve and providing those communities with quality, relevant journalism they can trust, on whatever platform or device they want to access it.

“I have every confidence that Jonathan and James, and the rest of the team in Barrow, and across CN Group, are well placed to achieve that.”

13 comments

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  • July 2, 2014 at 9:09 am
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    Congratulations to James. He’s served his time and deserves the step up

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  • July 2, 2014 at 10:09 am
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    I know this is a local newspaper website and yet I feel it is very sad that a talent like James’ has been rather wasted on a small-time, tiny circulation daily when he really could have made a much bolder move to a national newspaper. He’s a big fish in a small pond and needs a greater challenge at his age before the grip of local papers consumes him.

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  • July 2, 2014 at 11:23 am
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    Fantastic news, so pleased, well done James.

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  • July 2, 2014 at 11:47 am
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    Some people like being a big fish in a small pond. In terms of their public value & service, local newspapers, when owned by a company like CN group which still cares about them, are infinitely more valuable. What might he have been in the much-vaunted national press? A small cog trying to avoid being forced to break the law or at the very least tell biased lies? To be honest, Mr Lee, you are insulting James, Barrow and CN group all at once.

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  • July 2, 2014 at 1:18 pm
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    GladImOutOfIt – I couldn’t agree more with what you’re saying. I worked for CN Group for a number of years and their traditional family core values given the pressure on revenue and circulation have barely changed in a decade – and they’re still going strong!

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  • July 2, 2014 at 7:49 pm
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    Robert Lee needs to understand that not everyone wants to be one of the oppressed 600 turning out a national daily. Nor do most intelligent people want to live in some London suburban rat-hole for the dubious honour of being in the so-called ‘big time’.
    Most of Britain’s best journalists work in the provinces. This has always been the case. They have a better lifestyle and pursue an honourable form of journalism that is personally rewarding and fulfilling.
    I’d far rather be a regional daily editor than some minion on a Fleet Street back bench. And I’d much prefer turning out real news stories instead of celebrity trash about Posk Beckham and Kim Kardashian.

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  • July 3, 2014 at 4:07 pm
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    I have much to thank CN Group for, not least giving me a start in journalism, sound training and encouragement. It will be publishing papers long after Newsquest and the other predatory big fish of the regional press have squeezed the life out of their journalists and publications – sorry, content enablement assets and primary multi-media platforms.

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  • July 3, 2014 at 7:59 pm
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    The local press is very important but James is also a good operator and his ambition – which is incredible should be taking him to a higher level. It’s my opinion and I’ve been in regional papers for 35 years so I know what the local press is like.

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  • July 7, 2014 at 4:20 pm
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    But still no mention of the massive industrial tribunal currently rocking this newspaper …?

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  • July 8, 2014 at 7:28 am
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    Congratulations James. Keep turning out good papers.

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