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Imagine Staffordshire and the Black Country without the Express & Star.
Both in-paper and online, we have been an important part of life in our region for almost 130 years.

We also make a difference. Our reporters attend court hearings, ensuring justice is seen to be done and council meetings, reporting on local democracy in action. Our reports on council proceedings ensure the people you vote for are accountable for their actions.
We are also all proud of where we live and work.

The Express & Star is here to champion and fight for our region. We are a campaigning newspaper and we can influence decision makers to ensure our region is a better place.
This week local newspapers across the UK like the Express & Star are taking part in Local Newspaper Week.

We will be looking at all aspects of the Express & Star, from how we put together the paper, to ensuring we are accountable for our actions and the emerging and exciting challenge of online journalism.

Every Express & Star edition is a the product of a combined effort from a committed team – from the reporters and photographers who collect information to the advertising team selling space and the van drivers, newsagents and delivery boys and girls who distribute the paper.

We now reach more than 100,000 readers every day either in-paper or online. Nationally, local newspapers are regularly read by 42 million adults.

And 65 per cent of people who read a newspaper every day read a local newspaper.

We are proud to produce your daily local newspaper and determined to continue to provide you with all the news, sport, analysis and features you need.

The Reporter
Reporter Tom Oakley has been working for the Express & Star for almost four years.
The 23-year-old started on the Express & Star’s apprenticeship scheme back in 2014.

Living in Cannock and Stafford growing up, working at the local paper was something he’d always wanted to do.

“I’ve always been passionate about my local area so having the opportunity to cover Staffordshire was brilliant,” he said.

“From covering breaking news in the Black Country and Staffordshire to meeting people from all walks of life in the local community, every day here is different and it’s always rewarding seeing your work published.”

Tom is one of a team of reporters and photographers working across all corners of the Black Country and Staffordshire.

Working as part of the news team at the Star’s head office in Wolverhampton, he covers all aspects of news, including ‘calls’ stories from the emergency services, human interest stories, and reporting about local government.

“Since I started at the Express & Star I’ve covered a host of stories; charity events, interviewed some of my favourite musicians and have even written a feature comparing supermarket Christmas sandwiches!

“As a big Wolves fan, it has been great to be involved with the coverage of the club’s promotion in the city – something that will be remembered for years to come.”

The Sub-editor
Sarah Cowen-Strong has worked as a sub-editor at the Express & Star for the past ten years, and has been a journalist for nearly 40 years.

After the stories have been filed by reporters and then checked by the news editors, it is the sub-editors who are the next, and final, piece of the editorial jigsaw.
They are the newsroom’s last line of defence and their role is one of great responsibility.

“As sub-editors our aim is to make sure stories are legally sound, factually correct and well-balanced,” says Sarah, aged 58.
“We need to ensure there are no spelling mistakes and the correct grammar and house style is used. We also have to make sure the stories are the correct length for the intended space.

“We are also responsible for the headlines, which draw the reader in and hopefully add to the enjoyment of the reader.”

“It’s an interesting role because in addition to spending much of our team working on-screen we have to check details with reporters and liaise regularly with our colleagues on newsdesk.”

A good general knowledge is essential to spot mistakes, as is a sense of the ridiculous, adds Sarah.

“One minute we could be headlining a story about Brexit or a court case, and the next captioning a report of a runaway sheep in a supermarket or trying to think of puns about award-winning sausages,” she says.

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Sundeep Sehijpal

Bad publicity is something every company dreads. Once a business hits the headlines for the wrong reasons, it can be very difficult to re-build a reputation, writes Sundeep Sehijpal of Star Public Relations.

In January, clothes retailer H&M was at the centre of a row over a hoodie. The firm was slammed for an advert showing a young, black male model wearing a green jumper with the words: “Coolest monkey in the jungle.” The clothing giant withdrew the garment after racism accusations.

Virgin Trains pulled the Daily Mail newspaper from its trains after staff complained about the title’s coverage of issues such as immigration. The decision has since been revoked, but the company was accused of enforcing censorship. Both these companies never thought it would happen to them. Following years of helping businesses avoid a PR disaster there are some practical tips I can recommend.

Firstly, if there is something you don’t want to be seen doing, don’t do it. Ensure your company operates legally, ethically and with sound judgement.

If you want to invite controversy or make a point in the public arena, think carefully about how this will be perceived and where it could lead. Also, examine your checking process. Make sure anything going public, such as brochures, websites and leaflets, have been thoroughly proofed by a number of people.

Internal communications are crucial. It is important to make sure employees are aware of what they can and can’t talk about outside of the company walls.

Lastly, social media has the potential to cause problems. Having a clear brand social strategy and an online policy in place for staff will help minimise the risks. Employees should also be made aware of the risks of using their own personal social media accounts.

PR disasters can be dealt with but you have to be vigilant and enlisting an agency or external expert can help weather the storm.

Sundeep Sehijpal is agency director for Star Public Relations, part of the Midland News Association, publisher of the Express & Star. This article originally appeared on the Express & Star website.

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