A curious error attributed to an ACM press release has had the independent publishers of the Byron Shire Echo chuckling.

It seems a release to launch the new Northern Rivers Review included the Echo - along with the Newcastle Herald and Canberra Times - in an abbreviated list of Australian Community Media-owned publications.

It brought a prompt response from the Echo's Paul Bibby: "You don't own us mate!"

It reports Echo general manager Simon Haslam speculating that ACM executive chairman Antony Catalano might have been "sitting there at the luxury hotel he owns in Byron and just became a bit confused about whether he owned the Byron Shire Echo or was just reading it".

It's an interesting point, and once in his stride, Haslam expands it with the cheeky thought that there might be another media owner to which "the same thing" might happen when they met politicians.

The Northern Rivers Review is one of two new publications launched by ACM this month. The publisher has also announced it is selling its Mandurah, WA, print centre to heatset printer Ive Group, while signing to have them take over print and distribution work worth more than $100 million over the next five years.