The Liverpool Echo has relaunched its print edition with a new emphasis on being positive and telling readers the truth. (One might wonder what the fuck they’ve been doing for the past 130 years, but there we go.)
According to a statement, “following extensive reader research”, two assistant editors have been given the job of making sure that the Echo is as positive as it can be – when the story warrants it – and to ensure the paper is being as truthful as possible and not sensationalising stories.
Editor Alastair Machray says of the ‘truth project’: ‘We don’t want to lose our edge, but we do want to make sure we don’t push it and betray the trust of our readers. They regard accuracy as being ahead of sensationalism.”
This isn’t new, of course, and it won’t last. It never does – particularly when you consider the paper’s … err … ‘challenging’ patch. Which probably explains why on day one of the relaunch, the front page featured a splash on a murdered mum and a tease for the prison diaries of Michael Shields, convicted of the attempted murder of a Bulgarian barman.
Always look on the bright side, eh lah?
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