News International, Rupert Low Life Murdochs company, has somehow secured the contract for printing both the Kirkby Extra and Knowsley Challenge, Free local 'News' papers funded by the taxpayers yet politically biased in favour of Knowsley Council. Knowsley Council are in editorial control of the Knowsley Challenge and the Kirkby Extra has no information inside as to which organisation(s) is actually in charge of that news paper.

It seems strange that News International are now doing printing runs for small town newspapers. There are surely printers on Knowsley Industrial Estate and elsewhere locally who would have been grateful for such a nice lucrative contract. The type setters for the papers are also not from Knowsley. The Knowsley Challenge's most recent edition consisted of not one article detailing local crime. The 'reporters' on the paper seem to have little concept of reporting real local issues. What could actually be a cutting edge local paper is simply a tame toothless forgettable paper. The Editor must be hand picked by the Council and this reflects in bland unimaginative safe style thats is adhered to week in week out.

Below, the Nov edition of the Knowsley Challenge, the front cover dedicated to a visit by a dodgy Royal. The paper laughably tries to turn this into a Royal seal of approval. A recent sexual attack on a local child was ignored, why the hell was that not front page news?

Unfortunately the tradition of small town newspapers has all but died in the UK. In their stead we have local free papers which have no real news and the usual 50% plus content of Advertisements. There are each week, dozens of news stories in Kirkby which could be reported. The burglaries, the Cars robbed, OAP's being harassed. Kirkby Times has more local news than the Challenge and the Extra put together, yet they have a paid staff and no doubt trainee's. If this website can report on local issues, ask yourself why 2 publicly funded local papers cannot or will not report on as many local issues as possible. The sex attack on the young child here was an issue which was made for a local paper to take up as a crusade. Many questions remain unanswered to most of us regarding the attack, but has not any local paper got an obligation to report these matters?

Both these newspapers should be put into the control of the community.Then local printers and typesetters could tender for the contacts. Knowsley Council, under intense pressure from the local community, still ban News International Suns (SCUM) Newspaper from the libraries here. Many locals will be appalled to see that News International are actually making a profit printing the 2 Papers in question. News International, Rupert Murdoch and the Sun Gutter rag 'news' papers Hillsborough Accusations are reason enough for any of us to wash our hands of anything to do with them. Kirkby Times will be getting in touch with the local Council to ask them to reconsider using News International to print these Papers.

Below, the Kirkby Extra, same safe approach as the Challenge. no wonder these papers are 'free' (you pay for it by taxes) because NO-ONE would buy this sort of drivel.