The Mirror

Next morning, it's a (relatively) early start as we gather at 10am at Canary Wharf, home to the country's tallest building which in turn houses the offices of our first stop for the day - the Mirror newspaper.

Before we enter, Luke and Leila fall under the spell of a real live PR event taking place on behalf of the Canadian Tourist Board. A miniature Eden Project dome positioned just outside Canary Wharf station draws them in, where they each receive a free hand massage (and several chocolate truffles).



Suitably refreshed, they join the rest of us (shivering outside in the cold) and we make our way up to the 21st floor of No. 1 Canada Square.

In the formidable surrounds of one of the UK's best loved media institutions, we're greeted by Conor Nolan (one of the course's visiting lecturers) and Mirror Managing Editor, Eugene Duffy.

In Eugene's office, we're treated to a brief but detailed presentation on the paper's history, and its prospects for the future in a world dominated by electronic media.

Eugene explains how he reached his current position (the traditional route through regional papers, via a less-traditional Middle Eastern title) and gives us some valuable insights into the Mirror's readership, past and present.

Of greatest concern to all newspapers—particularly the tabloids—is the current downward trend in reader numbers, with the Mirror one of the worst-affected titles due to a combination of historical editorial decisions and current pressures to deliver profits along with the editorial scoops that define the paper's brand of ground-breaking journalism.

Unlike the Guardian (run by a charitable trust) and the Sun (something of a loss-leader for Rupert Murdoch's US TV-led media empire), the Mirror is constantly being challenged to meet the demands of its shareholders just as much as the demands of its readers - a tough proposition indeed for Duffy.

As the newsroom empties for the daily 11am news conference, we're shown round the paper's key 'desks'. Fashion is a messy pile of freebies, making the politics and business desks seem suspiciously tidy. The production staff are yet to start work for the day, so it's fairly quiet, and their absence makes all the more visible some of the creaking technology in use(when did you last see a beige Apple Mac?).

It's a fascinating place but we (and more to the point, the Mirror staff) have plenty more to do, so we depart into the maze of tunnels beneath the monolith that leads us into the Underground network.