Especially when you’ve only got one front page and two great stories about Matthew Brady getting caught and John McKay getting gibbeted in Perth. 

And even if you can choose between them, you still need to find room for the ad for fancy ladies hats. 

Luckily, the primary school-aged children charged with editing the much-loved Looney Launceston newspaper were given plenty of helpful advice from Launceston LINC staff on Thursday as the library hosted a Horrible History session.

LINC customer services officer Alice Imlach said after compiling their front page from story snippets and historic images, the editors-to-be had given their newspapers a coating of coffee stains to add to the authenticity.

“It’s all about reporting on the past and finding out gory things that have happened in Launceston like murders and ghosts and bushrangers and things like that,” Miss Imlach said. 

“I think we’ve got a lot of Matthew Brady pics on the front of our newspapers.”

The session was part of the library’s Launceston Long Long Ago program, which aims to look at history in a new way. 

“On Friday we’re recreating Cameron Street, the street used to go all the way through where Civic Square is now. 

“There’ll be lots of history behind the buildings we still have here today, so that when the kids can walk down the street they can get an idea about what it was once upon a time.” 

The Launceston Long Long Ago program wraps up on Friday.