newspaper

The Post – surefooted newspaper drama with obvious modern parallels

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 23, 2018, 11:01 am

| Readers 351

The parallels with 2018 are immense. The on-screen battle between politicians and the fourth estate may remind local audiences of politicians boycotting interviews with certain mainstream news outlets and harassed questioning the veracity and reporting of stories which are embarrassing. After nearly two hours, I also learnt that if you’re ever near the NY Times office, be careful crossing the road: nearly everyone in this film narrowly escapes being run over!

Changing the conversation about the media … do you feel the hand of vested interests? #xss14

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on July 2, 2014, 9:00 am

| Readers 78

Friday morning at Xchange summer school began with a two hour session looking at how to change the conversation about the media. Denzil McDaniel was joined on the second hand sofas by former journalist and spin-doctor Lance Price, digital investigative journalist Steven McCaffery and ex-newspaper editor, columnist and commentator Nick Garbutt. It was Lance Price’s first trip back to Enniskillen since covering the 1987 bombing for the BBC. Later he worked in 10 Downing Street as deputy communications director (under …

Another two local newspapers fold: The Carrickfergus Advertiser and The Ballyclare Gazette

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 15, 2014, 3:25 pm

| Readers 1048

The Carrickfergus Advertiser and Ballyclare Gazette, published by the Lord Kilclooney-owned Alpha Newspaper Group, have announced their closure with eight job losses (including six journalists/photographers), though “the company has said it hopes some of the workers will be redeployed to other papers in the group”. The Carrickfergus Advertiser was established back in 1883, closed by its previous owners Northern Newspaper Group in October 1992, and then reopened by Alpha Newspaper Group in 1991 1993; The Ballyclare Gazette was launched in …

First the Independent and now the i withdraws from Ireland, north and south

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on July 26, 2013, 9:14 pm

| Readers 222

Exactly thirteen months after The Independent withdrew from the island it will be the turn of its baby sister, the i. The Guardian’s Roy Greenslade reported this afternoon what the Irish News reported earlier: Independent Print has decided to stop distributing copies of The Independent’s little sister, i, in Ireland. Newsagents have been told that the issues of the i on 2 August will be the final ones available for sale in both the north of Ireland and the Republic. …

The Imperfectionists (Tom Rachman) – an insight into a newspaper that’s maybe not so fictional

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on April 16, 2012, 9:00 am

| Readers 148

The Imperfectionists (Tom Rachman) book cover

‘news’ is often a polite way of saying ‘editor’s whim’ Given the shift from print to online and e-ink, maybe Tom Rachman’s The Imperfectionists was a suitable first first book for me to finish reading on the Kindle. Considering the economic pressures on the newspaper industry, his novel perhaps captures the spirit and soul of a trade that is spinning down the plug hole, soon never to be seen again: a Lake Wobegon of the newspaper trade, complete with its …

Dead tree circulation continues to decline – Belfast Telegraph dropping at nearly twice rate of News Letter & Irish News

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on March 1, 2012, 6:30 am

| Readers 172

Table showing circulation decline for Belfast Telegraph, Irish News, News Letter and Irish Times - up to date with second half 2011 figures

Looking at the latest set of newspaper circulation figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) – July to December 2011 – it is once again a story of decline. You’re unlikely to read anything about this in today’s papers! For the last few years, the Belfast Telegraph has performed better in the first half of each year. However, its overall trend is still down. With an average audited circulation of 53,771 copies in the second half of 2011, the …

“the failure of the British press to cover Northern Ireland properly”

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on September 12, 2011, 2:15 pm

| Readers 54

The Guardian’s Roy Greenslade blogged again this morning about “the failure of the British press to cover Northern Ireland properly” and the consequential “absence of knowledge among [Great] British people about the realities of life there”. I doubt that many of you have ever heard of the Reverend David Latimer, a Presbyterian minister and former British army chaplain. And it would appear that Britain’s national newspapers are determined to ensure that he remains unknown to you. Yet Latimer made history …

Newspaper sales: could the Irish News overtake the Belfast Telegraph in 2012/3?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on February 21, 2011, 6:00 pm

| Readers 166

To add some longer term data to yesterday’s Tele takes a hiding post by O’Neill, the graph below outlines the performance (using the six monthly Audit Bureau of Circulation figures) of the Belfast Telegraph, Irish News and News Letter. I’ve added in the the Irish Times sales for comparison. The overall trend is one of decline. However, it is significantly more pronounced for the Belfast Telegraph. In fact if simple linear trend lines are added to the graph, sales of …