Tag Archives: Steve Wright

Evening Star breaks Steve Wright trial verdict on new SMS service

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A new SMS news alert system from Ipswich’s Evening Star newspaper marked its launch yesterday by delivering the verdict in the Steve Wright prostitute murder trial.

Wright, who was yesterday found guilty of the murders of five prostitutes in the Ipswich area in 2006, is expected to be sentenced this morning.

Yesterday’s alert added another layer to the online coverage of the trial by the paper, which has featured live news updates, video and interactive maps relating to the case.

“We think using it [the SMS service] we were the first media outlet to deliver the verdict. We were also the first to deliver police-supplied footage of Wright being interviewed,” James Goffin, web editor at Archant Suffolk, told Journalism.co.uk.

The text message service, which is being trialled by the Archant title, will be used to cover large breaking news stories in the area and enables newsroom staff to send a message directly to subscribers from any computer or device connected to the internet.

To access the alerts, which will cost 25p to receive, users should text ESTAR ALERTS NEWS to 84070.

Multimedia local coverage for Ipswich murder trial

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Reporters at Suffolk papers the East Anglian Daily Times and Evening Star in Ipswich have joined forces to provide rolling coverage of the murder trial of Steve Wright, the former Ipswich publican accused of murdering five prostitutes in the town between October and December 2006.

Video reports from the trial, which began yesterday, will be available online, in addition to live text updates under a special section on each site. The sites also feature an interactive timeline and Google Earth map of key sites relating to the trial, as well as background information on key individuals in the case.

Speaking to HoldtheFrontPage.co.uk, web editor James Goffin said four reporters were covering the trial – two in court, and two manning a video relay. He added that the court reporters were equipped with a laptop with a mobile connection allowing them to send copy straight from the court to the website.

In the article, Goffin estimated that page impressions on the sites would double during the trial.