Liverpool Echo and Liverpool Daily post are the best selling newspapers on the Merseyside with a readership of more than a million. Around 150 year ago, Michael James Whitty, a former chief constable of Liverpool, pledged a group of MPs to revise the Stamp Act, under which the newspapers were taxed. He said the revision would boom the industry and in order he promised to bring out a daily paper with a cover price of just one penny.
To keep up his word he brought out the first issue of Liverpool Daily post on June 11, 1855. Initially, it had eight pages, with six columns per page and was printed at a small printing shop in Liverpool, which was the home of the Liverpool Journal, a weekly newspaper.
Liverpool Echo, the second largest circulating evening news daily outside London is published on Merseyside. Founded it 1879, Liverpool Echo was produced alongside the Daily Post by its then editor Alexander Jeans. In the beginning ten editions were printed per day at the cost of halfpenny each. The price remained the same for nearly 40 years until it was doubled to one penny in 1917. Apart from these, Merseyside saw a huge growth of weekly newspapers in 1800's. Many of them are still serving their communities as a part of Liverpool Post and Echo Ltd.
Originally, the Daily post and Liverpool Echo was Liberal, though they were published in a strong Tory city. Russell, the then editor, campaigned for Gladstone to lead the Liberals, for Irish home rule and for every democratic issue of the day. Later he himself became the MP in Glasgow. In 1905, he was involved in a criminal libel brought against him by Liverpool's Licensing Magistrates. The verdict not only turned out to be the most important for Russell and Liverpool Daily post, but also for the freedom still enjoyed by the Press today.
In 1904, the Daily Post merged with the Liverpool Mercury and a public company was formed, with Alexander Jeans as its first managing director. After his death the company was succeeded by his son and grandson and in 1972 Liverpool Daily Post & Echo Ltd emerged as a diversified international group. Today it publishes both Liverpool Daily Post and Liverpool Echo and is a part of the Trinity mirror, the largest publisher of Britain.
