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Farewell dear readers, your knowledge and passion amazed me

All good things, as they say, come to an end. And so it is with this one.

We need to fight planned law threatening journalistic freedom

The battle for freedom of expression is never-ending, even in democratic countries like the UK.

I'm in paradise when I witness art of headline writing at its best

Back recharged after a break in Athens and the Cyclades Islands in the heart of the Aegean Sea.

ITV’s £100m deal to buy UTV’s television assets was completed back in February

Eclipse of UTV brand sad, but that is media world we now live in

And so farewell UTV. Yes, it's true you live on, a shadow of your former self, on our screens in the form of UTV Live and UTV Life and, er, well that's more or less about it at the moment.

Councils could help restore hope by being a little more parochial

A common theme of the Belfast Telegraph postbag is local representation - or the lack of it. By 'local', on this occasion, I mean very local; not Stormont. For on the Hill we have a surfeit of representatives.

Make Beeb more accountable, yes, but don't let it be neutered

Things ain't half hotting up over the recent White Paper on the BBC. First we had the Beeb's well-timed "exclusive" on John Whittingdale's dominatrix lover (true), then the luvvies' panic over the impending evisceration of BBC drama (untrue) and the (entirely reasonable) contents of said paper.

South's weak Press code letting Mail off hook over Buncrana

A few weeks back I wrote about the controversy involving the Irish Mail on Sunday and a bogus interview with Derry woman Louise James, who lost almost her entire family in the Buncrana pier tragedy.

What do you think of your new, made over Belfast Telegraph?

During the past week or so, the Belfast Telegraph has had a redesign. Not one of those heavy makeovers that have readers sputtering into their morning coffee, then penning indignant missives to the editor.

Why you can find the very soul of a newspaper in its letters page

Like most readers, I reserve a special place for the letters page. Editors and marketers may sculpt and focus group-test a newspaper to within an inch of its life, but it's the letters page that really sums up the readership.

A more hi-tech regional Press would reassure whistleblowers

Anyone who believes journalism is dead should look at the Panama Papers. Likewise, anyone who believes the mainstream media is toast should do the same.

Buncrana: Irish Mail on Sunday has questions still to answer

Last week the Irish Mail on Sunday apologised to Louise James, the Derry woman who lost her partner, mother, sister and two sons in the Buncrana pier tragedy.

Belfast Telegraph balanced in EU debate, but papers free to be partisan

Easter is early this year, meaning there will be a long run-up to the summer. What will make it even longer, for some anyway, is the sheer amount of politics - local and national - to be endured in the meantime.

Adam Johnson: Why putting people in the picture can be risky business

A salutary lesson should have been learned this week by anyone who thinks the mere act of pixelating a photo will make it OK for publication.

FoI is safe for now, but don't crack open the bubbly just yet

This was described as a good week for transparency campaigners, with the Government not yielding to pressure for major reforms to the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act.

Debating languages can be great craic, or is that crack?

You can always rely on a good old provocative piece about 'Norn Iron' culture to get Tele readers' juices flowing. Nelson McCausland did precisely that with an invective about the use of the word 'craic', not just north and south of the border, but across the water as well.

The 'our 'lawyers' warning on Robert Black funeral exclusive was tabloidy. But it was also blunt and effective.

A common question from readers is: "Where do stories come from?" The bland answer to that is, of course, from a whole range of sources. When told that one of these sources is follow-ups from other media, often the next question is: "How do we know which ones these are?"

Disdain for the public over vile killer's funeral utter disgrace

Sometimes it's difficult to understand why some politicians and civil servants are determined to keep the public in the dark about so many matters.

Johnston Press belt-tightening puts squeeze on Northern Ireland weeklies

There are rumblings of a shake-up within Johnston Press, which owns several newspapers in Northern Ireland including the News Letter.

Censorship on the campus... from the daft to the disturbing

Readers may remember the Belfast Telegraph reporting last year how Queen's University had managed to get itself into a bit of a twist over free speech.

A week when humble pie was on the menu for our food critic

A bit of a chuckle was had by manys a Tele reader last week at the expense of two normally solid entities.

Ipso proves it can stand up to big boys with Jeremy Corbyn ruling

Ipso, the new Press watchdog, continues to make progress, despite having more enemies than Donald Trump's speechwriter.

Have a happy Christmas and a very merry silly season

Silly season (noun): "A time of year, usually in mid-summer or during a holiday period, characterised by exaggerated news stories, frivolous entertainments, outlandish publicity stunts and so on. Example: The Shroud (of Turin) is generally lumped in with silly season subjects, such as Atlantis, yetis and UFOs." (Source: Dictionary.com).

PC footie chiefs dropped the ball by ruling kids' results offside

The following story is one of those yarns that immediately incites head-scratching and predictable rumblings of political correctness gone mad.

Papers cannot now complain if their inaction ends in caning

Some significant changes have been made to the Editors' Code of Practice, which is the cornerstone of the self-regulation system used by almost all the UK's newspapers.

We must mind our language when it comes to evil fanatics

Readers have inquired about the use of language in reports of the horrific massacres in Paris. Not particularly just in the Belfast Telegraph, but in the media generally.

Islamophobic attacks play into hands of Isis barbarians

The sheer scale and barbarity of the Paris attacks still takes the breath away. Thankfully media and political reaction has been measured with little outright Islamophobia.

The newspaper regulator is not perfect, but it's a decent start

To the Belfast Media Festival last Friday, and in particular a debate on how newspapers like this one are regulated.

Wind of change finally blowing through courts system

Some important changes over at the Royal Courts of Justice of late. Indeed, it's refreshing to see signs of fresh thinking.

Ofcom must protect UTV News in face of sale to ITV

And so UTV, that famous, and indeed cherished, station will soon slip from local ownership.

How one simple tweet made my phone explode with messages

Sometimes the world of social media is quite bizarre. It can be a force for immense good, whilst simultaneously also existing as a complete dustbin of dross.

Comment gives media a chance to let every side have their say

News this week that the Independent Press Standards Organisation rejected a complaint against the Belfast Telegraph over an article about massacres of Polish Jews will hopefully draw a line under a rather heated affair.

Why we are privileged to have protection of parliament

The Nama hearings this week didn't just unleash a wave of claim, counter-claim and predictions that the skies over Stormont could soon be thick with writs.

Pros and cons of Belfast bus lanes aside, the fines are a bit steep

Good to see vigorous argument in the pages of the paper over matters other than Stormont and the IRA. The Great Bus Lanes Debate is one of those arguments over seemingly mundane things that arouses passions for and against.

BBC parks its Death Star over courts and councils

So what to think of the BBC's latest offer to 'co-operate' with local and regional newspapers on news gathering? Not much, at first blush.

Journalism still a great choice for inquiring young minds

A regular question from readers and acquaintances is what is the best route into journalism in Northern Ireland.

Justice Keehan was sceptical of the police position

Publicity is a useful tool for our criminal justice system

It's been a merry old time over at West Midlands Police headquarters. The Birmingham Mail probably had no idea of the hornets' nest it would stir up with a seemingly routine Freedom of Information request to its local force a few months ago.

Cruel narcissist he may be, but Cecil the lion's killer has rights too

Want to see the social media lynch mob in its full, snarling fury? Look no further than this week. The story of Cecil the lion and his death at the hands of an American 'hunter' illustrates the worst and the worst of humanity (yes, you read that correctly).

Sewel scoop shows cleaner tabloid Press has mojo back

The grainy images of the haughty Labour peer Lord Sewel sniffing 'cocaine' and cavorting with prostitutes at his taxpayer-subsidised London flat are a welcome vindication of the traditional tabloid exposé.

We must fight watering down of Freedom of Information Act

One of the tools used to great effect by Northern Ireland's citizens and journalists is the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act. It was described by Tony Blair as one of his biggest mistakes, so I guess it must be good then because Tony's reflex is towards secrecy.

Dilemma of balancing privacy with right to know

On the publicity and political front, the Google 'Right to be Forgotten' issue has gone relatively quiet. That's the nature of news, I suppose; not everything can burn hot all the time.

A murdered child's family deserves much better than this

The stoicism of the family of Arlene Arkinson is as humbling as it is impressive. It will be 21 years in August since Arlene, from Castlederg, was abducted and murdered after a night out at a disco in Co Donegal.

David Anderson QC, the independent reviewer of terror legislation, warned the system could need overhauling

State snooping: Our massive accountability gap remains

This week's big report on the plethora of powers which allow the UK authorities to monitor and collect information on citizens was a clear and comprehensive round-up of a very confusing picture.

Journalists now more aware of ethical way to report suicides

Earlier this week, during a Stormont debate, Health Minister Simon Hamilton and others urged the media not to "sensationalise" the reporting of suicides in Northern Ireland.

It has emerged that many outlets were conned by a spoof weight loss study that produced headlines such as 'Chocolate makes your waist shrink'

There's no way to sugarcoat it, media fell for fake choc story

Sorry to report, but it's been a bit of a chastening week for some journalists, particularly of the science variety. It has emerged that many outlets were conned by a spoof weight loss study that produced headlines such as 'Chocolate makes your waist shrink'.

Sir Alan Moses, head of IPSO Press regulator

IPSO bares its teeth at last to savage Sun in resolute terms

There's an interesting time on the horizon for editors - and potentially for politicians, too. Just as IPSO, the new Press regulator, starts to get into its stride, a rival for the public's affections is up and running.

Twitter users can add an extra 116 characters to any tweet and embed the quoted tweet within the message

Biting political satire is a vital element of our Press tradition

TwitterStorm: "A sudden flurry of activity on the Twitter social networking and microblogging service that influences current events. A focused effort of many people using Twitter to influence current events to their favour."

Sub-editors are on the decline in journalism

Why today's reporters need to master the sub-editor's art

A recurrent theme among journalists these days is the perceived decline of the sub-editor. Subs, as they're known, are known for writing headlines and laying out pages. But one of their other critical tasks is to spot errors.

Charlie Hebdo bloodbath: An injured person is evacuated outside the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo's office in Paris following a shooting at the French satirical newspaper. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Queen's University Charlie Hebdo ban an affront to values it claims to hold dear

Embarrassing, short-sighted, counter-productive. And of course deeply, deeply ironic. The decision by the Queen's University vice-chancellor Patrick Johnston to cancel a conference on the fallout from the Charlie Hebdo murders in France is, in my opinion, all of the above and much more.

Defamation Act must be extended to end Northern Ireland's embarrassment

It was only a matter of time before Northern Ireland's antiquated libel laws ran up against the fairer system that ordains in England and Wales. And now it has happened.