A new editor has been named at a regional daily following the departure of its long-serving news chief.
Michael Purton, left, steps into the top job at the Worcester News which has been vacant since regional editor Peter John left his role three days before Christmas.
Michael was previously deputy editor at the News and before that editor of Newsquest Gloucestershire.
He moved into the deputy editor’s role last year in a job swap with John Wilson, who now edits Michael’s old titles the Stroud News & Journal, Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard and Gloucestershire Gazette.
As well as the News, Michael will also edit the weekly Malvern Gazette & Ledbury Reporter, Evesham & Cotswold Journal and the world’s oldest continuously published newspaper, Berrow’s Worcester Journal.
In a parallel announcement by publisher Newsquest, Worcester News head of content Stephanie Preece has been appointed editor of its Stourbridge division, which includes the Stourbridge, Halesowen & Dudley News, Bromsgrove & Droitwich Advertiser, The Shuttle and Redditch Advertiser.
Newsquest editorial development director Toby Granville said: “Michael and Stephanie are two extremely talented individuals who have already demonstrated their ability to be among the top performers for audience growth in 2017.
“I am delighted that they are now going to play an even bigger part in our future as the leaders in our Midlands South newsrooms.”
Julia Lancett, managing Director at Newsquest Midlands South added: “It is an exciting time for Michael and Stephanie to be leading the teams at our Midlands South titles. These are well-deserved promotions and I am looking forward to working with them.”
Michael takes up his new role with immediate effect, while Stephanie will take up hers on her return from maternity leave.
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another multi-editor spreading himself as thinly as cheap jam. You gotta laugh. best of luck to him though.
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Four comments posted yesterday but since deleted ?
Thought that only happened with ones commenting on Archant pieces?
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All four comments were contrary to our story comments policy which clearly states that “comments which contain gratuitous personal attacks on named individuals…will be deleted.” In other words, play the ball and not the man. Nothing at all to do with whether or not they related to Archant or any other newspaper publisher.
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While we’re on the subject, Archie, if you really want to know why some of your comments about Archant get deleted, you need to read the next line of the policy. “We will also delete comments that are irrelevant to the story under which they appear – including comments which attempt to shoehorn criticisms of particular regional publishing groups into stories about other companies or issues.”
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Where there’s commonality of issues or actions amongst other publishers other than the specific group being featured, surely it’s reasonable to allow empathetic comments around the same or similar issues at other groups to be made?
With regards to other posters comments taken down after they’ve been published,wouldn’t it be better to ‘moderate’ and decide the comments shouldn’t be allowed up in the first place rather than to accept and post them and then decide later to take them down ?
Just a thought
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