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Regional editors Longden and Reynolds join PCC

By Dominic Ponsford

Two long-serving regional press editors have joined the Press Complaints Commission.

They are Anthony Longden, managing editor of North & East London Newsquest titles and Simon Reynolds, editorial Director of the Lancashire Evening Post and Wigan Evening Post.

They replaced South Wales Evening Post editor Spencer Feeney and former editorial director of the Kent Messenger Group Simon Irwin.

The two new editors were nominated by the regional press trade body the Newspaper Society.

Of the seven editors who sit on the commission, two are from the regional press with others drawn from the magazine and national newspaper sectors.

The other 10 members of the commission are lay members, not associated with the journalism industry.

PCC chairman Baroness Peta Buscombe said: “One of the great strengths of the PCC is the tremendous mix of people on its board. The majority of Commissioners have no connection with the press and come from all walks of life, but to ensure our work is as authoritative and relevant as possible it is essential for senior editors to be involved in our decision making.

“It is their working experience of the industry that brings a critical breadth of perspective to our deliberations. Simon and Anthony have both had long and successful careers in regional newspapers, and will be excellent PCC Commissioners. I am looking forward to working with them. At the same time, I would like to thank Simon Irwin and Spencer Feeney for their great contributions over the last few years, and for giving freely of their time to support the PCC’s work.”

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