By Sarah Lagan
The Huddersfield Daily Examiner has created a new position of
investigations reporter to meet readers’ demands for more hard-edged,
campaigning journalism.
Reporter Richard Porritt will now devote his time to researching and
writing in-depth stories to help strengthen the Examiner’s news pages.
Since
he joined the paper as a trainee in 2004, Porritt’s investigations have
included a test on non-smoking pub-goers for the chemical cotinine and
for carbon monoxide levels, after they had gone out in what were
claimed to be well-ventilated venues. Porritt found high levels of the
deadly chemicals on their breath and saliva.
He also exposed the
high cost of the heroin substitute methadone, leading one drug
specialist to propose handing out heroin instead.
Porritt said:
“I want to take a much closer look at the issues that are really
important to our readers, and use the new Freedom of Information Act to
discover things some authorities might not want us to know.
“I
think it is important that local newspapers like the Examiner have the
guts to hold people, companies and authorities to account. I intend to
do just that by asking the questions the man on the street wants
answered.”
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