Do-it-yourself Featured Images

I’ve removed the plugin that automatically generates the Featured Image from the first image in the story. There are a number of reasons for this. First and foremost, for data weight and security, the fewer plugins we run the better. Setting the featured image is dead easy, the plugin for auto generating them is for…

11 February 2025

Graphmin

reports

I’ve removed the plugin that automatically generates the Featured Image from the first image in the story. There are a number of reasons for this.

First and foremost, for data weight and security, the fewer plugins we run the better. Setting the featured image is dead easy, the plugin for auto generating them is for websites where the staff, for whatever reason, can’t be trusted to remember to do it.

Secondly, creating and posting the featured images manually gives much more control. The featured image will always appear square in the news archive, so better we crop that out of our chosen image by hand. This also means we can choose any photo independent of the ones in the article.

After posting, check the front page and see how the link to your story looks. We're short of the featured images in the post to generate the previews in the front page — After posting, check the front page and see how the link to your story looks. We’re short of the featured images in the post to generate the previews in the front page here

Set the featured image in the righthand tool bar at Post > Featured Image

Front page news archive with featured images showing in the article previews

We need featured images for all posts, otherwise we get some unfortunate gaps in the front page layout. Remember, each new story appears in the number one spot and its featured image is the lead story big image.

While the missing images aren’t so obvious in the smaller positions, remember that as more posts are added, the story will pass through the big preview spots further down the front page.

Author:

Paul Holborow

In the campaign against the National Front, Searchlight provided a rich and utterly reliable basis for much ANL propaganda – particularly with reference to the two leading NF figures, John Tyndall and Martin Webster. The appearance of Tyndall in full nazi uniform, drawn from the archives of Searchlight, was a key part of ANL propaganda, coupled with deeply damaging nazi quotes from Webster.

Paul Holborow

Founding member of the ANL and National Organiser 1977-81

Peter Hain

British Jews have been persecuted over the centuries; British blacks since the Windrush generation of the 1950s; British Muslims, especially after the Islamist 9/11 and then 7/7 terrorist attacks in New York 2001 and London 2005. But until the last few years there has not been a simultaneous threat against all three British communities of Jewish, Black and Muslim Britons – meaning the need for Searchlight has never been greater.

Peter Hain

Labour peer, former MP and Cabinet Minster

Nick Davies

To investigate fascists takes real courage and unusual commitment. The government, police, mainstream media occasionally take a look, but in the UK only Searchlight have kept at it, relentlessly and admirably, regardless of threat or obstacle. It’s journalism that matters. A rare thing.

Nick Davies

Multi-award-winning investigative journalist and writer

Professor Colin Holmes

Everyone who wants to understand contemporary racism and its historical background needs to read Searchlight.

Professor Colin Holmes

University of Sheffield

Paul Nowak

The essence of trade unionism is solidarity, fairness and equality – for all workers – from all backgrounds. That’s why our fight against the far-right has always been part of our movement’s DNA. Searchlight is an incredibly important resource for trade unions and members to understand the contemporary tactics of far-right activity. Their work and intelligence gathering over the years have been incredibly insightful for the work we do, and how we fight the scourge of fascism.

Paul Nowak

TUC General Secretary

Alf Dubs

Searchlight’s voice is more important than ever, and I am delighted that it will now be available to a wider audience than ever before in its new incarnation online. Searchlight has been extremely helpful over the years in exposing the far right, corruption, criminality and the murky links between organised crime and powerful interests in the UK and abroad. I wish Searchlight the very best.

Alf Dubs

Labour peer, former MP and Cabinet Minister, and Kindertransport child