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Regional daily editor quits for PR role after nine years

Beard_four_jpg-pwrt2A long-serving regional daily editor has announced he is leaving to take up a PR role in public health.

Michael Beard, editor of Brighton daily The Argus for the past nine years, is leaving the paper at the end of the month.

He said the time was right for a new challenge after nearly a decade at the helm of the Newsquest-owned title.

Michael, pictured, is to take up a communications role with Public Health England, the government agency charged with improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities.

He said: “The story behind my departure is a simple one – I am ready for a new challenge.

“I have been with The Argus for nearly a decade, the longest I have spent at any of the papers where I have worked.

“The time is right for me to change direction.

“It has been an honour to have had the opportunity to edit the Sussex titles and when I leave later this month I will take with me memories that I am sure will stay for the rest of my life.

“I have been privileged to have worked with some extremely talented people, many of whom are still employed at The Argus today.

“Because of them I am absolutely certain that Newsquest Sussex and The Argus in particular will prosper.

“It has been a real honour to edit a newspaper in the best city in the country and to be welcomed into the heart of that community. As I have discovered during my time here it is a unique city with talent around every corner.

“There is no doubt that businesses such as ours face an incredibly digital future. Decisions taken in recent years have left The Argus ideally placed to take advantage of that.

“Our combined print and digital audience continues to grow. We now have approaching 39,000 people every day reading the paper and just over 40,000 unique visitors connecting with The Argus on line every day.

“We have just recorded a monthly online audience of more than 1,000,000 people.

“We have achieved that through some outstanding work by all the teams who work for us. A significant contribution has also been made by the hundreds of partners we are lucky to work with.

“Editors come and go but one constant is the business they work for. The Argus survives us all. I am proud to have played a very small part in the history of that institution.”

Dawn Sweeney, managing director of Newsquest Sussex added: “I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank Michael for his considerable contribution to The Argus over the last nine years and thank him for his direction and management of the editorial department.

“I would also like to express my personal thanks to Michael for his commitment and support over the last 15 months and wish him every success for the future. ”

Michael’s job is now being advertised here on HoldtheFrontPage.

9 comments

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  • November 4, 2014 at 10:18 am
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    I note the advert posted on HTFP for the job to replace Michael Beard is a mish mash of poor use of language, bad grammar and inconsistency. Might there be a few clues there?
    Welcome to the future, where it doesn’t matter to commercial/management types what the content does or says – just take a look at the ever shrinking cost base.
    Of course it does matter to one important constituency – the audience. But who running regional media companies right now seriously gives any long term thought to their wishes?

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  • November 4, 2014 at 10:39 am
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    With appalling figures year after year after year, a welcome exit, sadly whoever takes over the reins will find its too late to pull this lady back from bare bones.

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  • November 4, 2014 at 12:07 pm
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    I bought the Brighton Argus recently. Shocking to see such a demise in a once great paper. Not Mr Beard’s fault, of course. The bean counters have simply gutted the paper, as they have so many others.

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  • November 4, 2014 at 3:04 pm
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    Well a good sign they are replacing the post. The bigwig managers haven’t yet realised editors are just an over paid office clerk.

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  • November 4, 2014 at 4:10 pm
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    I have to take issue with PJ’s bleak predictions for The Argus, which mirror the lazy clichés that pop up far too often on HTFP – ‘we’re all doomed’, ‘the bean counters are in control’ etc, etc. If a local newspaper can survive anywhere then it is in Brighton. The Argus is in need of an editor that will re-engage people in Brighton and Hove and restore the morale in a newsroom, which still boasts some first rate journalists. If they do that then the Argus can certainly have a viable future.

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  • November 4, 2014 at 5:13 pm
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    Whilst I echo the Ex Argus praise for the sorely-pressed and hard working staff at Brighton (actually hidden away on the edge of the Sussex Downs) I wish I could be as optimistic about recovery.The Argus, once a superb multi-edition fast paced evening paper selling about 116,000 a day at peak now sells a paltry 14,000-odd in a city the size of Brighton (it makes only a token gesture at rest of Sussex). I would love in my heart to think the Argus will be restored to glory, but my head tells me it has slid too far down the slippery slope. In fact it would not surprise me if the first task of the new editor is to bring it out as a weekly (Brighton could do with a really good one).

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  • November 4, 2014 at 6:43 pm
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    Brighton already has a good weekly newspaper – the Brighton and Hove Independent. It’s not perfect but it’s lively and opinionated and feels far more in tune with the times than the remote edge-of-town Argus.
    There’s an impressive website as well, called Brighton and Hove News. It’s almost certainly low-rent but it also seems to be fast, accurate and reliable.
    Ex Argus is right to say the struggling Argus still boasts some first-rate journalists and, as a regular reader for some years, I still spot examples of excellent coverage. Sadly, it’s the exception not the rule although I wouldn’t blame those who toil in the newsroom for the current state of affairs.

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  • November 5, 2014 at 6:41 am
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    I’m always puzzled at the praise given to B&H Independent and B&H News. The former is incredibly thin, even for a freebie, and its front page seems to alternate between political gossip and whichever big event is happening that week. The latter is quick to the draw and has the occasional exclusive but mainly thrives on press releases and as-seen-on-Twitter. I think both have a place in the market but what Brighton needs is quality journalism. I agree that The Argus could make a great weekly but I also think it has a place as a daily paper with more of a focus on B&H.

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  • November 5, 2014 at 4:50 pm
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    Most days the Argus is also incredibly thin, while the B&H Independent seems to be growing. Both papers also carry a lot of stories 2, 3 or more days after they appear on Brighton and Hove News. I don’t get to see any press releases so I’ll have to take your word on that. I am impressed by the obvious local knowledge and the degree of analysis on B&H News though. The B&H News reporters seem to know much more about the people, places and issues they write about than ever comes across in the Argus. I’ve bought the Argus all my adult life but, sadly, it’s a pale shadow of what it once was.

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