''Southport Reporter'' is an
online newspaper
An online newspaper (or electronic news or electronic news publication) is the online version of a newspaper, either as a stand-alone publication or as the online version of a printed periodical.
Going online created more opportunities for newspa ...
started by Patrick Trollope. It was the UK's first online-only regional newspaper. It is based in
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Irish ...
on
Merseyside
Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...
, and was quickly recognised by the
National Union of Journalists
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Structure
There i ...
as well as other media groups, authorities and organizations as a newspaper. This recognition was due to the fact it was only run by certificated professional journalists (often the journalist held
NUJ
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). ...
or
IFJ ID/certification). As a result, they had to follow and run under the rules of the UK Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice and the NUJ Code of Conduct.
Development history
The idea started when Patrick Trollope decided to use unpublished news as a single page on a website called Formby Online, run by Andy Johnson, over 1998 and 1999, after studying at
Wolverhampton University
The University of Wolverhampton is a public university located on four campuses across the West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire in England. The roots of the university lie in the Wolverhampton Tradesmen's and Mechanics' Institute founded ...
. By 1999 the idea had grown into a multi-page system. In 1999 the site was moved onto his photographic business website, PCBT Photography. The interest shown during 1999 helped the idea develop quicker, but produced bandwidth restriction problems by the end of 1999. In 2000, the site was again moved to a new temporary host location, on a newly launched site called Southport.gb.com. The increase of visitors in 2000 helped the ''Southport Reporter'' to become better established. In 2001 the section was moved again and became fully independent, hosted as SouthportReporter.com. As it was by then becoming established, it was also registered as a trademark.
As the website became larger, it also began to be published under the names ''Mersey Reporter''
and ''Liverpool Reporter''. By April 2002 ''Southport Reporter'' was starting to become known as ''Southport & Mersey Reporter'', due to its coverage of news from all parts of Merseyside.
By then they had started covering events as far away as Manchester, with the paper covering the Manchester Commonwealth Games, on a local and international level. By 2007 the paper was being used as a news resource for many international media groups, like HULIQ. In 2008 the paper ran a Limited Company, called PBT Media Relations Ltd. Company UK. Also in 2008 the paper started to push for better rights for photographers in the UK.
After
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
's run as
European Capital of Culture 2008, tourism was at an all-time high in the area, so by 2009, questions within the Merseyside's community were being asked about the city's next steps. As a result, it was not surprising that ''Southport & Mersey Reporter'' would be consulted on the city's future development, resulting in them becoming a media partner of the "Beyond Capital of Culture: A New Dawn for Tourism in Liverpool" event.
In October 2012, the online newspaper published a paperback book under the publishing name VAMPhire.com. ''Beyond The Book'' was printed as part of an event called "ScareFEST 3 – Beyond The Book" that took place in October 2016 in a town called
Crosby Crosby may refer to:
Places
;Canada
*Crosby, Ontario, part of the township of Rideau Lakes, Ontario
*Crosby, Ontario, a neighbourhood in the city of Markham, Ontario
;England
*Crosby, Cumbria
*Crosby, Lincolnshire
*Crosby, Merseyside
**Crosby (UK ...
in
Merseyside
Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...
(UK). The event showcased seven UK award winning authors including those who were published in the book:
Jon Mayhew
Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".Tommy Donbavand
Tommy Donbavand (28 November 1967 – 14 May 2019) was an English actor, teacher and writer from Liverpool, best known for his books and comics for children, such as ''Scream Street''. He often wrote under pseudonyms.
Background
Donbavand had ...
,
Barry Hutchison
Barry Hutchison is a children's author, screenwriter, and director from Scotland. He wrote children's novels for Egmont Press under their 2Heads imprint, including books for the ''Beastly'', ''Ben 10'', and '' Ben 10: Alien Force'' series, and s ...
,
Philip Caveney
Philip Caveney (born 1951) is a British children's author, best known for the Sebastian Darke, Alec Devlin and Movie Maniacs novels. He previously wrote a number of thrillers for adults. He was born in Prestatyn, North Wales but for many y ...
,
Joseph Delaney
Joseph Henry Delaney (25 July 1945 – 16 August 2022) was an English author, known for his dark fantasy series ''Spook's''. He started his career as a teacher and wrote science fiction and fantasy novels for adults under the pseudonym J. K. H ...
and
David Gatward
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
. The book was illustrated by Sean Steele.
In 2013 the group started backing the Liverpool JCI as part of their aim to use the online paper to help development and improve the area's image.
IN 2014 the group was still leading the way as they started to get involved with the UK's first fully independent press regulation known as
IMPRESS - the Independent Press Regulator
The Independent Monitor for the Press (IMPRESS) is an independent press regulator in the UK. It was the first to be recognised by the Press Recognition Panel. Unlike the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), IMPRESS is fully compliant w ...
. ''Southport Reporter'' and its connected websites became the one of the first members of the new Regulator in 2016. This was a major step, resulting in PR from the likes of ''
The Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nikk ...
'', the UK's ''Press Gazette'' and the UK's ''Guardian''. This makes them fully regulated and lets them publish and display the 'IMPRESS Kitemark.'
In 2015 the site started putting a small logo up on its websites with the words "VAMPHire.com." They have mentioned this project a few times, but mystery surrounds it. The group has been very quiet on the development. A few items have popped up in recent years, including on sites including Manchester Fashion Week, London Calling, ''North Devon Gazette'' and ''Liverpool Express''. It has also been mentioned on websites like The North West Bus Blog, Felicity Hat Hire, Google Chrome website and Vessel Finder. However, as of yet, other than photos and the fact that they own or run VAMPhire.com, the connection is still unclear. As they have a connection to book publishing via that name, this is worth keeping an eye on, as very little movement has taken place on some of the group's other websites. With all the developments on the Press Regulator side, some are asking what the next move will be for this group, who are also now going under the name PBT Media Relations Ltd.
UK Data Protection Register
/ref>
See also
*Formby Golf Club
Formby Golf Club is a golf links in Formby, Merseyside, England.
History
Founded in 1884, the course was redesigned by Willie Park Jr. in 1912. Over the years the course has undergone some changes, including some in 1922 by James Braid.
Major ...
*Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
*Merseyside
Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...
*Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Irish ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
''Southport Reporter''
''Mersey Reporter''
''Liverpool Reporter''
BBC news sources in the Merseyside area
Myspace - ''Southport Reporter''
Weekly newspapers published in the United Kingdom
Newspapers published in Merseyside
Publications established in 2001
European news websites