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June 18, 2014

Reading Chronicle appoints former Mail on Sunday journalist to replace ousted editor

By William Turvill

Former Mail on Sunday and Evening Standard journalist Lesley Potter has replaced the Reading Chronicle editor who was forced to resign after appearing to link Hillsborough with hooliganism in a front page article.

Maurice O’Brien left the paper in April after the story on crowd trouble at Reading Football Club said: “Football hooliganism may be thought of as a relic from a previous age when gangs of denim-clad skinheads held the game to ransom and names like Hillsborough and Heysel were symbols of its ills.”

Potter joins the Berkshire Media Group-owned Chronicle from the Henley Standard, according to Holdthefrontpage.

She previously worked at the Chronicle between 1997 and 2000 before joining the Mail title as assistant to the features editor. Potter also worked as a freelance and then at the Standard.

According to the website, Keith McIntyre praised news editor Tessa Watkins for filling in as acting editor.

He added: “Lesley has a wealth of experience in local, regional and national press and previously worked at the Chronicle as chief reporter and features editor as well as a stint on the Mail on Sunday.

“Lesley lives in Reading just five minutes from the new offices we are moving to later this year – she could not be more local.”

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