John Meakin was a reporter employed by the Weatherfield Gazette who covered four stories involving the residents of Coronation Street.
In November 1966, Elsie Tanner's grandson Paul Cheveski went missing and was found after an intensive search on the bank of the Weatherfield Canal, having been pulled by someone out of the dank water. Suffering from pneumonia, Paul was hospitalised and Meakin went round the residents trying to get his story, but to no avail. One exception was the boy's mother Linda, who spoke to him in the hope that it would publicise the fact that the Gas Street side of the canal wasn't properly fenced off. It later transpired that none other than Councillor Len Fairclough had blocked the tender for the new fence and when Meakin published the story it led to a fight between Len and Paul's father Ivan.
The following year, in the May, a major disaster occurred in the area when a goods train plunged off the viaduct and onto the street, killing Sonia Peters and injuring Ena Sharples. Meakin was soon on hand with his notebook. He tried to get an eye-witness statement from David Barlow but was curtly told to ask someone else as he wanted to do something useful i.e. shifting debris. He got even less help from Jerry Booth who threatened him with a punch if he didn't leave him alone and came to Minnie Caldwell's defence when he tried to speak to her about Ena. When Sergeant Bowden spotted him, he asked him to try and keep out of the way and Meakin meakly obliged. Later on, after Sonia's body was recovered, Meakin obtained an update of the situation from Bowden.
In September 1968, the day after Steve Tanner's murder, Meakin called at The Pink Posy flower shop and quizzed Dave Smith about Steve's widow, Elsie, hoping to secure some juicy details for a story. Dave gave him short shrift, refuting Meakin's claim that they were old mates, insisting they had merely had "a jar" together now and then. When Dave was prepared to say no more than that Elsie was a first-class manageress, Meakin changed tack and suggested looking into Dave's own dodgy dealings, Dave swiftly banished him from the shop.
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His reporting had a happier effect though in April 1970 when David Barlow had been killed in a car crash in distant Australia. Albert Tatlock spoke to the Gazette giving all the details about David and his wife Irma annoying David's brother Ken. However the printed piece also mentioned the fact that Stan couldn't afford to go out there to help his daughter over her grief and this resulted in a flood of sympathy letters and money pouring into the Gazette offices and 13 Coronation Street. Meakin came to the Ogdens' with their received mail and the paper's photographer Kevin Wild and handed Stan a pile of letters and donations from people amounting to some £250-£300 which, with another £300 sent directly to Stan, gave him enough money to pay for his ticket down under.
- The character's second and third appearances were credited as "Reporter" and not named in dialogue, however from a conversation between him and Minnie Caldwell in Episode 668, it is clear that they are one and the same person.