Here’s Looking at mX

There’s been the sad revelation this week that daily commuter newspaper mX is to print its last edition in just two weeks’ time.

For the last 14 years, picking up an mX has been a much-looked-forward to part of catching the train home for many city commuters after a busy work day.

Now, due to ‘the changing reading habits of commuters who now turn to their mobile phones and tablets,’ News Corp CEO Julian Clarke says the decision to close has been “inevitable”.

In a special editorial on the cover of this afternoon’s edition, mX Editor-in-Chief Craig Herbert thanked readers for their messages of support.

“It’s been a fun and frenetic journey for all who have had the privilege to work on mX over the years, and every single member of the mX family is gutted by the decision to pull down the curtain,” wrote Herbert.

“We’ve still got plenty in store over the next couple of weeks and you won’t want to miss a copy leading up to our sure-fire collectors’ item final edition.”

It is sad to say that the mX has been struggling for a while, with more and more readers choosing social media and smartphones over print publications. It was this growing trend that saw the mX undergo a redesign and major restructure, as well as the introduction of the mX smartphone app. Unfortunately, though, it just couldn’t outrun where things are headed.

Around 30 full-time journalists will be affected across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, but it is not clear yet how many will lose their jobs. The decision will also affect the hundreds of distribution staff who hand out copies of the mX at train stations each day.

The mX was also a great opportunity for budding journos to get their start, offering internships and the opportunity for columnists to be published in the ‘For What It’s Worth’ section.

Working in the city (where I now happily write for a living – and I count my blessings each and every day), I always look forward to seeing the friendly mX distributors at the end of the day, and getting to say hello.

I’ll be sad to see the mX go, and will miss seeing it on the train. I miss laughing at the puntastic headlines and the ‘Overheard’ section, I will miss naww-ing at the ‘Here’s Looking at You’, and I will miss leaving my copy on my trainseat ready for the next person to read.

In general, I will miss a much simpler time where print newspapers were read, shared and enjoyed.