| Format | Online only |
|---|---|
| Owner | Citizen News Service |
| Editor | "Tim C" |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Political alignment | none |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | St Neots |
| Official website | http://www.stneotscitizen.com |
The St Neots Citizen is a British satirical local news service based in St Neots, Cambridgeshire.
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The St Neots Citizen was first published in 2001 as part of the Citizen News Network, comprising at the time the Whitley Bay Citizen, Geordie Citizen, Showbiz Citizen and many others. One by one all these sites fell into disuse and were abandoned as their domains expired.
The St Neots Citizen was resurrected in 2008 by the original editor, known to the wider world only as "Tim C", and accepts contributions from anyone although all submissions are moderated before publication. The original creators of the Whitley Bay and Geordie citizens are currently working on Citizen Extra as a revival of the original news sources. In February 2011 the Citizen underwent a facelift, receiving a new layout and new features. These include "Last Week's Stars", where a "resident astrologer" tells people about an event from the previous seven days; and letters from readers which are, according to the Citizen, at least fifty per cent genuine. The horoscope contains a weekly tribute to snooker player John Virgo under the Virgo sign, for no apparent reason.
The majority of Citizen articles carry the byline "Citizen Editor" and are written by the Editor "Tim C". Other submissions come from "staff writers", including Oi!! Correspondent, Flaming Reporter, and A.J. Oke. Other contributors include PW and Adam Douglas, the latter rumoured to be a local councillor. The Editor previously used to write under the pseudonym Geoff Ives, a nod to the multiple Geoffs and Jeffs involved in the original Citizens. The Citizen announced the appointment of "Features Editor" Francisco Sanchez in April 2010; this name is also thought to be a nom de plume of Tim C. Site updates are posted as "Tim C" rather than "Citizen Editor", although confusingly Tim C often refers to himself in these updates in the third person.
In early 2009 an unnamed local councillor mistakenly believed the site to be serious, and issues a cease-and-desist notice to the owner, citing possible slander. The notice was revoked when the owner pointed out that the site was merely for comedy purposes and not to be taken seriously. In mid-2009, the Citizen ceased publication whilst involved in a debate over the ownership of the title "The St Neots Citizen". Editor Tim C said he could easily resolve the case by changing the name, but was "too damn stubborn." Eventually the other party, who were not named, agreed that Tim C carry on using the name as long as they were not actively publishing a newspaper called the St Neots Citizen.
A number of other very successful satirical news websites exist, including:
The St Neots Citizen is not related in any way to any other news services called Citizen, for example the MK Citizen and the Aberdeen Citizen.