Robin Fletcher, former editor of Wales on Sunday, the Blackpool
Gazette and the Northampton Chronicle & Echo, has joined forces
with fellow regional journalist- turned-PR guru Carol Hassall to launch
a digital magazine for the communications industry.
The
e-magazine, called Cascade, is informed by their experiences on both
sides of the fence, and aims to be “more than just an opportunity for
corporate people to talk about how great their brands are”, according
to editor Hassall.
The first issue was distributed this week to
communications and human resources managers and marketing executives at
more than 100 public and private sector organisations.
It
includes an interview with Birmingham Mail editor Steve Dyson on his
new-look title, as well as interviews with PRs at Emap, Sport England
and the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
Hassall, who worked on
the Birmingham Mail for 10 years, said: “There hasn’t been a forum
before now for sharing information on good practice and problem solving.
“Especially
in the public sector, you can be very isolated in your role, so we’re
really hoping people will see something that helps them with their
exact problems.
“There’s a lot of misunderstanding between
journalists and PRs about what the other does, but it’s so important to
develop good relationships.”
The title is distributed in digital
format only, but Hassall said she believed the technology was advanced
enough to allow the magazine to be readable both onscreen and on a
printout.
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