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Thirty journalists volunteer to help MEN in wake of terror attack

Thirty journalists from across the UK have volunteered to work shifts for the Manchester Evening News so its reporters can rest after covering the terrorist attack in the city.

Trinity Mirror asked staff at its titles across the country if they would consider a short secondment to Manchester in order to help the MEN over the next 10 days.

Staff from Cambridge, Newcastle, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Derby, Cardiff, Bath, Grimsby, Cheltenham and London are involved.

Most are reporters but there are also digital production staff getting involved, and the Irish Mirror team in Northern Ireland will be helping the MEN with subbing work for the print editions.

Neil Benson, Trinity Mirror’s editorial director for regionals, said: “It has been a very dark week for Manchester but the MEN team has won praise from around the world for their reporting of the arena bomb attack.

“The response to our request for staff from other Trinity Mirror newsrooms to go to Manchester was instant and truly heartwarming.

“They will be working on the many follow-up angles, which gives them an opportunity to be involved in a once-in-a-generation story, and will enable the MEN to maintain the outstanding quality of its coverage.”

The MEN produced a 9am special edition the morning after Monday’s attack with 34 pages of coverage, then went on to raise in excess of £1m for the families of the victims.

It also ran a special 16-page supplement dedicated to the victims in Saturday’s edition, with the front cover of the tribute bearing the words of ‘This is the place’, the poem read by Tony Walsh at a vigil held in the city following the attack.

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Editor in chief Rob Irvine said: “The first of our colleagues have arrived and they are already making a massive contribution to our coverage.

“We have some critically important events taking place this weekend in Greater Manchester, including a range of memorial services, vigils and culminating on Sunday with thousands of runners taking part in the Great Manchester Run.

“And with our colleagues’ support we can continue to ensure the very best of reporting across our region.”