A regional political editor has hit back at a national politics website which branded her a “buzz kill” and a “chippy Manc” after she pointed out a story it claimed as “breaking” was broken by her hours beforehand.

Jen Williams, of the Manchester Evening News, accused the Guido Fawkes blog of being a “d***” after it claimed news about Greater Manchester Police being put into special measures was “breaking” – almost three hours after she had first revealed it.

Jen’s attempt to correct the blog on Twitter was met with its ‘Media Guido’ account calling her a “buzz kill”, prompting Jen to urge the team behind the site to tweet her story “instead of implying you’d discovered it”.

The right-leaning blog is run by editor-in-chief Paul Staines, and reporters Tom Harwood and Christian Calgie.

Posting on the social media site, Jen added: “Get over yourselves, you didn’t do any work.”

In response, the Media Guido account pointed out it had linked to the MEN’s story from its website and accused Jen, who is originally from North Wales, of having a “pointlessly chippy Manc attitude”.

Jen, pictured, replied: “Just link in the tweet. That’s it.

“And don’t be a d***. Granted that might be harder to learn.”

The row on Thursday evening sparked support for Jen from other industry figures.

Liverpool Echo political editor Liam Thorp posted on Twitter: “You don’t really get to say something is breaking four hours after someone else broke the story.”

And Yorkshire Post Westminster correspondent Geri Scott posted a similar example involving Guido Fawkes from earlier this month, adding: “Ah, forgetting regional journalists break stories too, is it? Sorry mate, great story/stories/everything though.”

Ah, forgetting regional journalists break stories too, is it? Sorry mate, great story/stories/everything though x pic.twitter.com/4foh22wIN5

— Geri Scott (@Geri_E_L_Scott) December 17, 2020

In reply, Daily Mirror political editor Pippa Crear said: “Top journalists both. With you all the way.”

HTFP reported in 2018 how Jen had been involved in a spat with another national media figure, The Guardian’s Owen Jones, telling him “you are not a journalist” in response to criticism he had made of the newspaper industry.

HTFP has approached both Jen and the Guido Fawkes team for further comment.