[Updated] Coventry Telegraph editor suspended

[dutchman]

The editor of the Coventry Telegraph has been suspended amid allegations over his misuse of Twitter, The Observer can exclusively reveal.

Darren Parkin, editor since 2009, is being investigated by top brass at Trinity Mirror, publisher of the Telegraph, after concerns were raised about his conduct by his own staff.

The exact nature of the allegations against Mr Parkin are unclear, but they are believed to include comments made to his followers on the social networking site over a number of weeks.

Newsroom staff were notified of his suspension on Thursday morning after Mr Parkin, 38, was escorted from the newspaper’s offices the previous afternoon.

The last post on his normally busy @CovTelEd account was earlier that day.

A spokesman for Trinity Mirror confirmed to us that a member of staff in Coventry had been suspended.

The Observer has been told by other sources he is suspended on full pay, pending the investigation, although few of his staff expect him to return to his job.

Mr Parkin is originally from Yorkshire, but moved to the Midlands in 1993 and was chief reporter on the Solihull News and Solihull Times, and later Birmingham Metro News, winning the UK Press Gazette Young Journalist of the Year three years in succession.

He claims to be the country’s youngest newspaper editor at the age of 24 at the Wolverhampton News and was appointed editor of the Telegraph two and a half years ago.

[dutchman]

Coventry Telegraph editor leaves job after suspension

THE EDITOR of the Coventry Telegraph has left the newspaper following allegations over his misuse of Twitter.

Darren Parkin, editor since 2009, no longer works at the city daily following an investigation into his conduct on the social networking site.

A spokesman at publishing company Trinity Mirror confirmed the news this morning but would not comment further.

Last month the Observer exclusively revealed Mr Parkin, 38, had been suspended.

The exact nature of the claims against him remain unclear, but they are believed to include comments made to his Twitter followers over a number of weeks.

He has not tweeted from his @covteled account since June 6 - the day he was suspended and escorted from the Corporation Street offices of the paper.

Mr Parkin, originally from Yorkshire, is a three-time winner of the UK Press Gazette Young Journalist of the Year.