MoS Sunday Tribune look-alike stunt ‘a bid to protect jobs’

The Irish Mail on Sunday editor has defended his decision to publish a spoof wrap-around edition of his title as a look-alike to the Sunday Tribune.

It was evidently a bid by the Irish MoS (circulation 112,000) to scoop up some Sunday Tribune readers (circulation 54,400) while the Tribune is out of print.

According to the Irish Times, there were 25,000 copies of the look alike-edition which carried the heading: “This paper is a special edition designed for readers of the Sunday Tribune”.

The Tribune is currently out of print after going into receivership, but a buyer is being sought.

Irish MoS editor Sebastian Hamilton is quoted in the Irish Times today saying that his title employs 161 staff in Ireland, which he said was four times as many as the Sunday Tribune.

“We want to protect those 161 Irish jobs by persuading as many Tribune readers as possible to keep buying newspapers. If today’s marketing exercise encourages more people to buy a paper today, surely that is something we should encourage.

‘The Tribune was shut down by its owners, who also own the Sunday Independent. We want to offer Tribune readers a genuine alternative.”