rent 2

MORE than 60 young men - some under 16 - are being exploited by the sex trade on the streets of Manchester. Experts warn that vulnerable teenagers are being groomed and forced into prostitution....
Read the rest of my M.E.N story here.

It's not easy to get this kind of issue into a local paper, so I'm grateful to them for running it.
All too often the regional press seems to exercise a subtle form of self-censorship over subjects which may upset the delicate sensibilities of their (dwindling) readership.
While it would clearly be wrong to focus constantly on the darker, and in some ways less palatable side of society, this attitude strikes me as being quite partronising.
There is a limit to what fits into a paper or magazine, so choices must be made and some news filtered out. But in my view it is vital than the media holds a metaphorical mirror to society, reveals its flaws and poses awkward questions to those in power for the benefit of everyone.