The Byron Shire Echo is a weekly independent tabloid newspaper which is published in the Byron Shire

Byron Shire

Byron Shire is a Local Government Area located in the North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, on the Pacific Ocean coast between 50 and 80 kilometres south of the Queensland border. The shire, administered from the town of Mullumbimby, covers an area of , and has existed as a local...

, New South Wales, Australia.

The Echo, as it is also known, was founded in 1986 as a result of marijuana raids by the NSW Police in the surrounding valleys. The paper claimed that the Police were acting aggressively and illegally. It was from this perceived social injustice that Nicholas Shand started the paper, and it continues to champion those causes today under publisher and co-founder David Lovejoy.

Over the last 20 years it has grown steadily from an A4 layout to the present day A3 tabloid, and currently prints 22300 copies weekly.

In August 2008, The Byron Shire Echo launched a sister paper in the Tweed Shire, called The Tweed Shire Echo.

Politics

The paper has no party political allegiance, but claims to be socially radical and environmentally conservative.

Controversies

The paper has been the subject of lawsuits for defamation over the years and at one point a boycott from business owners unhappy with The Echo's critical stance on The Byron Shire Council.

Staff

The Echo is edited by Michael McDonald.

Columnists include Mandy Nolan, Mungo MacCallum

Mungo Wentworth MacCallum

Mungo Wentworth MacCallum is an Australian political journalist and commentator.He is the son of Mungo Ballardie MacCallum , and Diana Wentworth a great granddaughter of the Australian explorer and politician William Charles Wentworth...

 and John Campbell.

Past writers for the newspaper include Bob Ellis

Bob Ellis

Bob Ellis is an Australian writer, journalist, film-maker and political commentator. He was a student at the University of Sydney at the same time as other notable Australians including Clive James, Germaine Greer, Les Murray, John Bell, Ken Horler, and Mungo McCallum...

.

Website

The Byron Shire Echo website provides pdfs of the paper and, since June 2008, constantly updated news, sport, real estate, classifieds and multimedia.

Distribution

Bangalow – 980,
Byron Bay – Homes 4765,
Byron Bay – Bulk drops 3195,
Byron Bay – Businesses [CBD shops & offices] 600,
Ballina 100,
Billinudgel/Yelgun 355,
Brunswick Heads (incl. Bayside Brunswick 175) 1163,
Burringbar 90,
Clunes, Federal & Rosebank Stores 425,
Coopers Shoot 220,
Goonengerry/Federal/Eureka mail run 270,
Lismore 60,
Main Arm 345,
Mooball 45,
Mullumbimby Homes 1378,
Mullumbimby Shops, etc 919,
Murwillumbah + Mt Burrell (20) 145,
Myocum/Andersons Hill 275,
Newrybar – 600,
Ocean Shores/New Brighton 1760,
Sth Golden Beach/Nth Ocean Shores 980,
Wilsons Creek 430,
Subscriptions 200,
Lennox Head Homes 2400,
Lennox Head CBD 300,
Ocean Shores and Brunswick Heads Newsagents 300.