Celebrating Great Journalism - 11 October
Welcome to our weekly round-up of impactful journalism from across our 120+ trusted brands, from national titles like the Mirror, Express, Daily Record and Daily Star, to local brands like MyLondon, BelfastLive and the Manchester Evening News, as well as our US-based brands.
This week’s newsletter is brought to you by David Higgerson Chief Digital Publisher and explores the first anniversary of the 7th October terror attacks by Hamas in Israel, a double murder trial and an anti-knife crime campaign in Bristol, and more from across our UK and US sites.
7th October attacks anniversary
Earlier this week, the first anniversary of the 7th October terror attacks by Hamas in Israel was observed in the Middle East. Mirror Security and Defence editor Chris Hughes and photographer Rowan Griffiths have been on the ground for the last week, sending a series of powerful dispatches back to the UK.
They included an interview with a mum of one of the hostages taken by Hamas, who recounted her final call with her daughter, and a young woman who recounted hiding for hours from Hamas as they attacked the Nova music festival. In this powerful opinion article, Chris sets out why he believes the Middle East is now heading towards war.
Hurricane Milton
In Florida, all eyes have been on Hurricane Milton as it headed towards land, reaching the west coast of the Sunshine State late on Wednesday US time. Our New York-based team have provided comprehensive coverage, an example of bringing the live-blogging of big news events that Mirror.co.uk audiences have become accustomed to to a new audience in the USA on our .com site, seen here anchored by News Reporters Yelena Mandenberg and Jeremiah Hassel.
On the Express this week, interest in the Government’s cuts to winter fuel allowances shows no sign of waning. Political Reporter Katie Harris reported on protests outside Parliament, while also revealing analysis which shows a quarter of those losing help are over the age of 80.
Double murder trial in Bristol
In Bristol this week, BristolLive’s strong coverage of Bristol's double murder trial which got underway and has of course dominated the local news agenda in the city. This has been extremely complex due to the number of defendants and the ages and relationships of those involved. Expertly handled by Tristan Cork , Pete Gavan , Kate Wilson and the rest of the newsdesk as they had to contend with a legal minefield including several court orders. None of this has dented the coverage, which has been fast, thorough and sensitive throughout.
As this trial got under way, this week also saw the first meeting of BristolLive's Together for Change campaign. The anti-knife crime campaign launched earlier this year following three murders and brought together media and community leaders from across Bristol in a rare show of unity. The meeting on Wednesday evening was the first step to creating a task force with the ultimate aim of driving lasting and meaningful change from and led by the communities themselves.
Elsewhere around the UK
The Liverpool Echo has joined the fight to save a much-loved baby hospice, Zoe’s Place, from closure. It needs to raise £5m in a month - and the Echo is part of the campaign to do that.
Is it possible to create a new breed of dog without any veterinary expertise? This was the topic of the day as the Daily Record broke the story of Dr DNA, who boasts about creating Frankenstein breeds - the most recent being a French bulldog crossed with a dalmatian.
Chief Reporter Mark McGivern also broke today’s story about beer firm Brewdog having to pour away millions of pounds worth of ‘infected’ beer following a huge number of complaints that booze tasted sour. Brewdog blamed staff for failing to adhere to basic hygiene rules.
Two powerful opinion articles from the Manchester Evening News were well read and demonstrated how we can give voice to topics which matter to many. What’s On Editor Jenna Campbell asked “When did people stop caring” while exploring the bleak reality of running a restaurant in 2024.
Parents editor Emma Gill meanwhile questioned why local councils can’t afford to pay for bonfire night, but millions are being spent on arts venues few people visit.
Today marks National Coming Out Day, which inspired Social Newsdesk reporter Danielle Wroe to talk to members of the LGBTQ+ community about their experiences. She carried out a very inspiring interview with Ru Paul's Drag Race star Banksie, as well as interviewing Jaron Soh about how he learned to celebrate his sexuality.
And finally, in the US sports journalist Rory Robinson, whose article reacting to a peculiar set of comments by a pundit on Fox’s NFL show at the weekend was read more than 1m times and is also our most engaging story of the month to date, keeping readers with the story for around a minute.
Thanks for reading, we’ll be back with more highlights next week.