news in brief...


DEATH TOLL DROPS FOR JOURNALISTS In 2016, 93 journalists and media professionals were killed, down from 112 in 2015, according to the International Federation of Journalists. All the deaths were work related. The killings included murders, bomb attacks and crossfire incidents in Africa, Asia Pacific, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East and Arab World. A further 29 died in plane crashes.


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liffe Media has bought all 13 newspapers in Johnston Press’s East Anglian publishing division in a deal worth £17 million. Iliffe said the papers would


Iliffe buys East Anglian titles I


Mercury; Rutland Times; Bourne Local; Grantham Journal; Spalding Guardian; and Lincolnshire Free Press. Chief executive Edward Iliffe


be an extension of the Cambridge Independent newspaper, which it launched in September. The titles are: Lynn News;


Fenland Citizen; Diss Express; Bury Free Press; Haverhill Echo; Newmarket Journal; Suffolk Free Press; Stamford


said: “We are delighted to have acquired these well- respected local newspapers. Iliffe Media, with its long heritage as an independent, family-run media business, firmly believes in the future of local newspaper publishing across all platforms.” A spokesperson said no


staff would be affected by the changes and that the titles would be produced at two hubs, with printing transferred to Iliffe’s Cambridge presses. Ricky Allan, managing


director of the Cambridge Independent, will take on added responsibility for the titles in Bury, Newmarket, Diss, Haverhill and Sudbury. Richard Parkinson, a former


regional managing director of Johnston Press, joins Iliffe Media in the new role of


REGIONS HAVE 200 FEWER PAPERS


newspapers now than in 2005, according to an analysis by Press Gazette.


T


here are nearly 200 fewer regional


Research by the Media Reform Coalition found there were 1,122 local newspaper titles in the UK in 2015. Adding launches and


taking off closures, the magazine calculated that 198 local newspapers have been lost. It said the number of journalists on


regional newspapers is believed to have at least halved since 2005. Many titles have switched from daily to weekly publication.


managing director (Midlands), responsible for publications in Kings Lynn, Wisbech, Spalding, Grantham, Stamford and Rutland. Ashley Highfield, chief


executive of Johnston Press, said: “This disposal marks a major milestone in our divestment strategy and puts us firmly on the path of refocusing our activities on areas with the greatest growth potential. The disposal will also reduce our net debt.”


In the past two


years, the north west and Yorkshire have been most affected by closures. London fared better, gaining seven titles, as did Wales, where three papers were launched.


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