The Yorkshire Post Explained

The Yorkshire Post should not be confused with Yorkshire Evening Post.

The Yorkshire Post
Motto:Yorkshire's National Newspaper
Type:Daily newspaper
Format:Broadsheet
Foundation:1754
Headquarters:Leeds, England
Editor:James Mitchinson
Circulation:10,634
Circulation Date:2023
Circulation Ref:[1]
Sister Newspapers:Yorkshire Evening Post
Issn:0963-1496

The Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire, although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by Johnston Press and is now owned by National World. Founded in 1754, it is one of the oldest newspapers in the country.

The paper's head office is in Whitehall Road, Leeds and the current editor is James Mitchinson.[2] It considers itself "one of Britain's most trusted and historic newsbrands."[3]

History

The paper was founded in 1754, as the Leeds Intelligencer, making it one of Britain's first daily newspapers. The Leeds Intelligencer was a weekly newspaper until it was purchased by a group of Conservatives in 1865 who set up the Yorkshire Conservative Newspaper Company Limited then published daily under the current name.[4]

The first issue of The Yorkshire Post, on 2 July 1866, included the following statement:

The newspaper broke the story of the Edward VIII abdication crisis under the editorship of Arthur Mann.[5] In 1939, The Yorkshire Post absorbed a rival, the Leeds Mercury, which was founded in 1718 and was liberal in comparison to the Leeds Intelligencer from the late 18th century, and under the editorship of Edward Baines and his son (also named Edward Baines).[6] At its peak in the 1950s, The Yorkshire Post sold 120,000 copies a day. This figure had dropped to 40,000 by 2012, rising to nearer 90,000 on a weekend. By the second half of 2017, it was selling less than 22,000 copies a day,[7] and circulation further declined to just 18,534 for the period January to June 2019. As well as publishing regular supplements on sport, rural affairs, culture and motoring it runs an extensive business section with two weekly pull-out supplements.

In 2012, as its parent company Johnston Press sought to cut costs, it was merged with the Yorkshire Evening Post – the local newspaper for the Leeds city region - with the then editor, Peter Charlton, overseeing both titles. The merger saw the formation of combined departments for news, business, sport and features – with correspondents writing for both titles.

In February 2012 Johnston Press announced that printing of the Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire Evening Post in Leeds would be switched to their plant at Dinnington near Sheffield and the Leeds printing facility closed.

In September 2013, it was announced the Wellington Street premises would be demolished. Journalists had already vacated the building. Preliminary demolition began in March 2014, while in April 2014 it was announced the tower would be spared.

In March 2014, 'The' was reintroduced on the name of the paper after 46 years.[8]

The Yorkshire Post achieved wider attention during the 2019 general election campaign, following the publication of a story about a boy being treated on the floor of Leeds General Infirmary which was published by sister title the Yorkshire Evening Post. The papers faced criticism on social media and in correspondence from readers, and editor James Mitchinson wrote an open letter to a reader defending the titles and their journalism.[9] [10]

Editors

Adapted from the official website:[11]

Former journalists

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Leeds - Yorkshire Post . . 29 August 2023 . 2 September 2023.
  2. Web site: Contact us. Yorkshire Post. 7 October 2017.
  3. Web site: We're on the side of truth; we are calling for an end to the general election lies; the deception; the fakery . The Yorkshire Post . 5 March 2020.
  4. Book: Caunce, Stephen. Leeds City Business. John. Chartres. Katrina. Honeyman. Katrina Honeyman. Leeds University Press. 1993. 24–56. Yorkshire Post Newspapers Ltd: Perseverance rewarded. 0-85316-157-7. https://archive.org/details/leedscitybusines0000unse/page/24.
  5. News: Sweney. Mark. Yorkshire Post publisher scraps editors' posts on regional papers. 15 April 2012. The Guardian. 14 April 2012. London.
  6. Book: Brake. Laurel. Demoor. Marysa. Dictionary of nineteenth-century journalism in Great Britain and Ireland. 2009. Academia Press. Gent. 9789038213408. 354.
  7. News: JP dailies post circulation rises as ABC figures unveiled . Paul . Linford . HoldTheFrontPage . UK . 8 March 2018 . 1 March 2018.
  8. Web site: Yorkshire Post Reinstates 'The' After 46-year Absence . Johnston Press . 10 March 2014 . 31 March 2014.
  9. Web site: BBC Radio 4 - The Media Show, Fake news, strong views, Yorkshire and me. BBC. 5 March 2020.
  10. Web site: 'Do not believe a stranger on social media who disappears into the night' - An open letter from our editor to you. Yorkshire Post. 5 March 2020.
  11. "In the editor's chair", Yorkshire Post, 2 July 2004
  12. Web site: Hutchinson . Andrew . 27 February 2020 . Blue plaque honour for acclaimed Leeds-born writer Keith Waterhouse . 24 July 2024 . Yorkshire Evening Post.
  13. News: Maclure . Abbey . 20 November 2021 . Barbara Taylor Bradford: How the best-selling Leeds author launched her extraordinary career at the Yorkshire Evening Post . live . 24 July 2024 . Yorkshire Evening Post.