THE I RISH Mail on Sundayasked shopkeepers to display a Sunday Tribunelookalike edition on empty spaces previously reserved for the defunct newspaper, a court has heard.
Yesterday, Sebastian Hamilton, editor of the Irish Mail on Sunday, defended the decision to publish the edition – saying it was a marketing exercise to gain new readers, and not an attempt to mislead people.
Associated Newspapers Ireland, owners of the paper, are being prosecuted by the National Consumer Agency (NCA) at Dublin District Court for breaching the Consumer Protection Act.
The watchdog brought the case after complaints by readers who bought the special edition on February 6th last thinking it was the Sunday Tribune, days after that paper went into receivership.
Some 26,000 copies of the Irish Mail on Sundaypriced at €1 with a wraparound cover similar in appearance to the Sunday Tribunewere distributed to shops in the east coast on February 6th.
Continuing his evidence yesterday, Mr Hamilton said the "personalised" edition was designed to look "a bit like" the Sunday Tribuneto attract its readers after it had closed. Otherwise, he maintained, they could have been lost to the newspaper market.
Typefaces in the lookalike paper were in fonts used only by the Irish Mail on Sunday, and the front page listed some of their sections and contributors such as John Waters, Rachel Allen and Joe Brolly. The words Sunday Tribunewere printed in a different size and the Irish Mail on Sundaylogo appeared on the back page. It also bore the legend "Your Quality Compact", which he said attracted criticism from former Sunday Tribuneeditor Noirín Hegarty, as this phrase had been used by that paper when it became "compact".
“It is a widespread journalistic phrase ever since broadsheets began to go tabloid,” he said.
Mr Hamilton said the Sunday Tribune's readers were sophisticated, and most people were aware it would not be appearing on the shelves. Running the special edition was a chance to persuade them the Irish Mail on Sundaywas a good alternative. He said the paper had previously run a personalised edition to attract new readers.
Cross-examined by Jonathan Kilfeather SC, for the NCA, he denied it was an attempt to deceive. “It is flashing them something they are familiar with, so they will say ‘What the hell is this?’ pick it up, ‘It is the Mail on Sunday, Jesus’, and either put it back or say ‘You know what, for €1, give it a try’,” he said.
It was put to him that a packing docket sent to retailers offered them an increased commission for the sale of the special edition. He said this was because the edition was half the price of a normal Irish Mail on Sunday. He agreed the docket stated it was important it be displayed on shop space hitherto held for the Sunday Tribune.
He denied there was an intention to mislead the public, saying: "This was being done in a situation where the Sunday Tribunehas been shut down and does not exist." Judge Conal Gibbons will hear closing submissions today .