Claim: Henry Muddiman began producing two regular newsbooks in late 1659 on the proceedings of the newly reconvened Rump Parliament, which seems to have been at the suggestion of George Monck, which eventually resulted in Muddiman having a monopoly of print along with arch-royalist John Birkenhead as a supervising editor.
Evidence: He began producing two regular newsbooks - Parliamentary Intelligencer and Mercurius Publicus - in late 1659 on the proceedings of the newly reconvened Rump Parliament. This seems to have been at the suggestion of George Monck, who also received good publicity. Muddiman received a monopoly of print along with arch-royalist John Birkenhead as a supervising editor. On 16 April 1660 this role was secured when all other such journals were banned particularly those of Marchamont Needham the chief Cromwellian publisher.