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''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 newsp ...
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 Iris ...
on
Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wir ...
, 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 is ...
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 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The idea started when Patrick Trollope decided to use unpublished news as a single page on a website called Formby Online, run by Andy Johnson, over 1998 and 1999, after studying at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 (county), West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire in England. The roots of the university lie in the Wolverhampton Tradesmen's and Mech ...
. 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 status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
'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 (U ...
in
Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wir ...
(UK). The event showcased seven UK award winning authors including those who were published in the book: Jon Mayhew, Tommy Donbavand,
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, Joseph Delaney and David Gatward. 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. ''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, Nik ...
'', 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
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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 status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
*
Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wir ...
*
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 Iris ...


References

{{Reflist


External links


''Southport Reporter''''Mersey Reporter''''Liverpool Reporter''BBC news sources in the Merseyside areaMyspace - ''Southport Reporter''
Weekly newspapers published in the United Kingdom Newspapers published in Merseyside Publications established in 2001 European news websites