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THIS month Asian News celebrates its 10th anniversary with a
decision to take the publication in an exciting new
direction.
From now on we will be an online only puplication dropping
traditional newspaper form.
All news, features, entertainment, Bollywood coverage,
letters, health and beauty tips and readers opinions and much more
will now go directly online - Asian News will become the MEN Media
group's first totally website publication.
This wealth of information will be free to all internet users
who will be able to log on and access local, regional and even
national news of special interest to the Asian community as it
breaks.
The Asian News website is already one of the most successful
in the MEN Media Group with 200,000 hits per month from 41,000
distinct visitors.
Its blogs are also keenly read by the public with 19,000
visitors following the Deranged Marriage Diary, Bollywood Gossip
and our Bertie on the Ball sports series from the Bolton Wanderers
community cohesion officer.
But this is only the beginning. The website already is a
portal for readers' views who can place their comments on it free.
This important community resource is to be expanded. The website is
soon to be redesigned and its capacity for interaction with readers
will be increased significantly.
A section of the website will be devoted to voluntary groups,
charities, sports clubs. They will be able to post in their latest
news on events and activities and make their appeals for support -
for free.
It will also contain a section devoted to companionship,
dating and marriage prospects.
The existing links to Bollywood sites will be expanded with
more interviews with stars and directors including video footage of
the big films and performers. These will run along side the sites
important media links to the Guardian Unlimited, in terms of hits,
the biggest newspaper site in the world, the Manchester Evening
News, almost all the weekly newspapers in Greater Manchester as
well as all the important newspapers published in the Indian
sub-continent
Of course we will still want your news and features. Readers
can contact the paper in the usual manner by ringing the newsdesk
on
01706 357086 or send news directly to the
website
www.theasiannews.co.uk
We hope 100,000s of readers from the Asian community and
beyond will join us in this exciting initiative in 21st century
publishing - see you online!
Shelina's in charge
THE MEN Media group is proud to announce that the
editor of the new online Asian News is Shelina Begum who was
previously the paper's chief reporter.
Shelina, one of the very few women of Bangladesh
origin to achieve a key role in the UK media, joined the group
eight years ago after a period of impressive work experience on
Asian News.
Shelina, aged 27, was born in Rochdale and was
educated at Falinge Park High School where she obtained nine GCSEs
and went on to get A levels in English, Sociology and Religious
Studies at Hopwood Hall College.
It was always her ambition to become a journalist and
after joining Asian News she completed her National Council for the
Training Journalists course on day release at
Liverpool.
Shelina, who speaks fluent Bangla and can understand
Urdu and Hindi, has brought a series of exclusive front page
stories to Asian News.
Her most outstanding assignment was her coverage of
the October 2005 earthquake in Kashmir. On reaching the devastated
area Shelina quickly sent back a series of dramatic and moving
reports which were featured in Asian News.
No less than six pages of this news and picture
material was published in Asian News' sister paper, The Manchester
Evening News. For this coverage and her other exclusives Shelina
was named Reporter of The Year for 2006 in the prestigious
BNFL-sponsored press wards.
She has also pioneered the successful Asian News
website which is one of the biggest in the group.
Outgoing Asian News editor, Steve Hammond, who is
leaving the company said: "Shelina is a tremendous role model for
Asian youngsters, particularly women.
"She comes from the most deprived section of British society - Bangladeshi women and has through her enthusiasm for her craft, hard work and dedication proved that anyone can succeed. She was a real find. I wish her all the luck in this new venture with Asian News."
Goodbye Steve
ASIAN News' editor Steve Hammond is leaving the MEN
Media group after serving as an editor for 21 years.
Steve, aged 61, has been a journalist all his life,
save for a period teaching in London.
He was educated at Stockport Secondary Technical
School and Bristol University where he obtained a degree in
Economic, Politics and Philosophy. He was recruited on the Thompson
Journalist Training Scheme and put to work on the Western Mail -
one of Thompson's many regional papers.
After serving as a district reporter in South Wales, a
feature and leader writer at the Mail's Cardiff headquarters, he
worked at Thompson's London HQ supplying the group with national
news. He also spent some time as a correspondent in North Ireland
in the 1970s and in Israel and the West Bank.
On joining the MEN Media group as an editor he was
asked to launch the North Manchester and Middleton Express and
later took over the editorship of the Rochdale
Express.
He was then tasked with launching Asian News in 1997 -
the 50th anniversary of Indian and Pakistani independence. He has a
partner and a 10-year-old son and is looking forward to spending
more time with his family.
Got an opinion you want to share?
Good luck and best wishes.
2/08/2007 at 11:32