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April 7, 2005updated 22 Nov 2022 2:58pm

Breaking news claim

By Press Gazette

The Sunday Mercury claims it beat its press competitors in breaking the news of the Pope’s death on Saturday.

The paper produced a 16-page special tribute edition within 90 minutes of the Vatican announcing the Pontiff’s death.

Confirmation came at 8.37pm and by 10pm the Birmingham-based paper was on the streets.

Journalists
produced a further two editions with updates, tributes and reports of
the scene in St Peter’s Square and a final edition went out at 4am.

Deputy
editor Paul Cole said: “It was a tremendous team effort. In true
newspaper tradition, journalists worked long past their shifts to get
the news out.

“All editions of the Mercury carried news of the
Pope’s death. Many nationals on sale in the Midlands on Sunday still
had him alive.”

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