Manchester Evening News editor set to depart
Paul Horrocks, editor of the Manchester Evening News (MEN) is leaving after 12 years in his current post and more than 30 at the paper.
Horrocks was editor when the MEN established its integrated multimedia newsroom and pioneered its part paid, part free strategy that saw copies of the paper being distributed for free in Manchester city centre.
Joining the newspaper in 1975 he worked in various roles as a reporter, crime correspondent, news editor, assistant and deputy editor, prior to becoming editor himself in 1997.
He has said he felt privileged to work with talented journalists at the MEN, stating:
"I have had an immensely enjoyable and rewarding time as a writer and later editor of a great newspaper" adding that he left on "good terms with Mark Dodson and the rest of the management team".
The chief executive of Guardian Media group, Carolyn Mc Call said: "Paul has been a hugely important part of the success of the Manchester Evening News and GMG for many years. He has steered the paper through a period of unprecedented change in the regional press with total commitment to quality journalism and to building the MEN's well-earned reputation for ground breaking innovation.”
Horrocks was also president of the Society of Editors in 2007 and served on the Press Complaints commission from 2002 to 2006. He is a member of the Defence, Press and Broadcasting Advisory Commitee and is a non- executive director of MIDAS which promotes business investment in Greater Manchester.
GMG Regional Media business, publisher of MEN, announced in March that it would close all the editorial offices of its weekly newspapers and cut 150 jobs. 70 of these were editorial positions. April then saw 11 compulsory redundancies at the MEN.