The editor of a regional daily has echoed its founder’s commitment to its patch as the newspaper celebrates its 150th anniversary.

The Manchester Evening News has marked the milestone today, having been published for the first time on 10 October 1868.

On the day of its first publication, founding editor Mitchell Henry told readers that “in putting ourselves into print, we have no apology to offer, but the assurance of an honest aim to serve the public interest”.

Now current editor Darren Thwaites has reiterated the sentiment in an editorial written in honour of the anniversary.

Wrote Darren: “We’ve been there every step of the city’s journey since 1868, reporting on our triumphs and tragedies, our hopes and our fears.

“From fighting for better health care for the poor in the 1860s to exposing the scandal of hidden homelessness in 2018.

“The newsroom of today is a very different place to that of our founding editor Mitchell Henry in 1868. He surely could not have imagined a world where most readers now consume our stories through the screen of a little hand-held device.

“But some things remain the same. Our commitment to this city region burns undiminished. We report honestly and in the public interest. We think Mr Henry would be proud of the way we’ve carried his legacy forward.”

A story charting the history of the MEN also appeared on its website last night.