SEX sells newspapers. That's why juicy affairs or tittle-tattle about the love lives of talentless Big Brother winners dominate the front pages of the biggest selling nationals.

The Northern Echo doesn't ignore sex but tries to keep it in perspective.

Take John Prescott's affair. It's important because it exposes the questionable morality and judgement of a man expected to run the country in Tony Blair's absence.

But we would never go as far as publishing a page lead story - as The Sun did - about the size of the Deputy Prime Minister's "manhood".

Two Shags John Prescott has a manhood the size of a cocktail sausage, says ex-lover Tracey Temple.

The lardy Deputy Prime Minister might have the body of a saveloy, but in the department where it matters he is a chipolata, she recorded in her diaries.

Investigative journalism at its best, with a photograph of a shrivelled sausage and a two-inch ruler alongside it for good measure.

At least Prezza can console himself with the BIG car, the HUGE grace and favour houses, and the WHOPPING salary he's been left with despite being stripped of his responsibilities.

THE newsdesk was pursuing news of Steve Harmison's third child being born the other day. England's ace bowler was due to play for Durham against Middlesex but Isabel Grace's arrival thwarted the plan.

Assistant News Editor Matt Westcott called Harmison's agents, International Sports Management (ISM).

"Can you get me details about when it was, where it was?" he asked.

"Mmm, yes, OK," said the woman dealing with the call.

"Oh, and the weight and the sex..." Westcott continued.

"The sex? Why do you want to know about the sex?," the ISM woman interrupted rather abruptly.

"Well, you know, whether it's a boy or a girl," Westcott replied, confused.

"Oh! I thought you wanted to know about the sex they had," she said.

Who does she think we are - The Sun?

AND so to our sex change of the week. We managed to turn Lee Vasey - a respected female councillor in Darlington - into a man last week.

Lee was quoted as a "he". Worse, the accompanying photograph, supposedly of her, was clearly of a man.

It transpired that a picture had been plucked from the files, showing Lee standing next to a Darlington businessman called Eddie Humphries, and a disastrously wrong assumption was made. So sorry.

ANOTHER apology and, this time, nothing to do with sex.

The editorial comment after Boro's UEFA Cup final defeat concluded with the paragraph: We are sure fans will share the sentiment of our front page headline which simply says: 'Thanks for the memories'.

Given that the headline was 'Boro's dream ends in tears' readers may have been understandably confused.

Which is a reminder to the editor to be more careful the next time he decides to change the front page headline at the last minute.