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May 30, 2014

Former Lib Dem PR appointed editor of Archant’s Islington Gazette and Hackney Gazette following papers’ move to Ilford

By William Turvill

Former Liberal Democrat PR Matt Withers has been appointed editor of the Islington and Hackney Gazettes following the papers' office move to Ilford.

Withers joined Archant as executive editor of digital for London in March this year.

Before that he had worked as a media and PR officer for the Lib Dems for a year and a half from September 2012.

Withers started his career as a trainee reporter at the Liverpool Echo in 2002 before moving between the Daily Post Wales, Wales on Sunday and Media Wales.

According to Archant, in his new role Withers will "lead the news team through the review and strategy of both titles which will form the basis of a relaunch later this year".

The editorial appointment comes after the Hackney and Islington Gazette editorial teams' recent move to Archant London's Ilford office, which is more than ten miles from parts of Islington.

Archant said hotdesk facilties have been sought in both London boroughs to meet the publisher's "commitment to community and customer engagement".

Archant London editorial director, Laura Adams, said: “This is a step forward for two of the company’s reputable newspaper brands and I look forward to it having a positive impact on our products in the coming months.”

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