MR. HACK No. 109

Thanks this month to veteran and talented journo Chris Harbinson for our photograph. "Okay," wrote Chris to us. "How's about an NCTJ training course at Malahide, photographed on April 30, 1967 by M.K. Khanna, of K Studios, 16 Waring Street, Belfast.." Thanks, we said ... lots of faces, now much older so let's see how many we can spot. I'll plump for the easy ones at the front, left. Jack (JES) Sayers standing talking to Jim Gray who, in his day, was an expert at union negotiations and later at keeping a close eye on expenses. I thought that might be Martin Hill on the extreme left but then learned he was only five in 1967.  On the extreme right in the hat is Diane Harron ... and I shall leave others to the rest of you to identify. Good luck.

Comments

[Chairman]

That looks ominously like my old friend, Joe Gorrod to the left molesting that young woman while hanging his arm around her neck. I was never on a training course of any kind for the Telegraph or anybody else. Perhaps they recognised that money spent trying to make me smarter would be a waste. I always regretted never getting to one of these training weekends. I'm told, from those who have been, that the opportunities for drunken revels were unlimited. Perhaps it is the distance of time but there are actually few of those faces I could put a name to. I'm not even sure that's Joe. It looks like him but a lot of guys wore their hair like that in the 1960s.

[Chairman]

I believe there is an onus on those of you who have been on a 'training' weekend to tell us what really went on at those hotels when the lectures ended and playtime began. Remembering that the statute of limitations would be well past its crime-by date. (Except for murder of course and I have no recollection of any story quite that mysterious coming out of a training weekend or seminar.) Do tell. Confession is good for the soul. And unlike Twitter, nobody important is ever going to read it. Just this tight little band of brothers and sisters on Copyboys.

[Derek Black]

Really, Mr Chair, with JES in attendance? And Mr Gray. Now if it was Eugene Wason, it would be a different matter as it frequently was.

[JC]

I remember attending a similiar course at Malahide ... my travelling companion was Howard Beattie who at that time worked for the Northern Whig ... I must still have been in the Newtownards Spectator because I remember he came to the town to report on a major break-in on some property on the Portaferry Road. Strange how some things come back to you! Howard is still around but not in journalism now, I think. Or maybe someone else knows ...?

[A.McQ.]

Looks like The Best Chairman We Ever Had has been at the Wincarnis decanter again. Joe Gorrod was well past the NCTJ stage by 1967 - I think he had even left the BT to become a staff reporter on the Daily Express.

[Blogmaster]

We received an email ...

God, John, it's hard to believe it is 45 years since that NCTJ weekend course at Malahide - I wasn't even married then, but I still had to behave myself in the presence of JES!!

I can't for the life of me remember the name of the NCTJ tutor, but I can recall, among the "students", Sandra Chapman (nee Scott) and, if my memory serves me, Davy Watson and Chris Harbinson were two of the BT's trainees attending. Chris got well and truly 'tired and emotional' one of the evening get-togethers. I can only remember that as I had to stay sober and responsible because I was a tutor, and I was always looking over my shoulder to keep a lookout for JES who, to be fair to him, stayed well
away from the social activities!

Actually I was very impressed with the course as the Gardai put on a very good exercise to point out how the Press could help, or hinder police investigations. I tried to get something going along the same
lines with the RUC, but we were shortly to be involved in our real life dramas and it went by the board.

Jack Sayers was quite keen on the work of the NCTJ and was in line to take on the new journalism course at the then College of Business Studies when he retired, but he died rather suddenly - it must have been
in September, 1969 as Valerie and I were on a week's holiday on the Antrim coast, having married that June.

Joan Fitzpatrick (nee Coulter) became the journalism course lecturer in his stead and a very good job she made of it. I often wonder why her work for journalism training was never recognised (to my knowledge) as
many of our then brighter young journalists have much to thank her for. It would be nice if, even in retrospect, her efforts could be appreciated.

I first encountered Joan when I was "elevated" from being the North Down
(Bangor) correspondent of the News Letter to Donegall Street. I reckon she was the first woman to break the mould in Belfast and hold her own with any of her then male colleagues, Bud Bossence, Norman Ballantine, Cecil Orr etc. She turned out some of Belfast's best from the college
course.

I haven't seen the picture at Malahide you refer to, so I can't offer any more names of who might have been present.

Warm regards

Jim Gray

[Jim Gray]

By the way, speaking of the NCTJ, you might like to recall that my old friend, Ivan McMichael, was the first trainee in Northern Ireland to obtain the Proficiency Certificate of the NCTJ while he was working for the Tyrone Constitution in Omagh.

[Chairman]

The news that the Peelers have nabbed a bunch of Fleet Street reporters for the crime of giving some remuneration to news informants and contacts, is disturbing. How far back are they planning to investigate. I seem to recall that every Christmas specialist reporters covering politics, industry, municipal politics and the courts etc. were given some expenses for the precise purpose of sweetening town clerks, committee clerks, police contacts and many others. I recall staggering up to City Hall myself with bottles of booze and boxes of chocolates to slip a thank-you on to a few desks. Mind you, you were often told beforehand who were to be the beneficiarys of this bounty. Often you had to treat your best infomants out of your own pocket. Which usually involved long afternoons in bars where it was always your round. Is there a statute of limitations of payola? And what about the reverse cases were certain 'specialists' received 'gifts' from people they'd written about in a commercially advertising kind of way? I fear the law has got to the stage where it has decided that if they can't catch criminals they will simply criminialise folk they can catch. The Establishment is clearly still pissed off at the exposure by the Daily Telegraph of the expenses racket at Parliament. Politicians are a little like burglars. They prefer to work in the dark. I fear newspaper 'regulation' is another attempt to turn off the light.

[Smyth]

Speaking of politicians distributing gifts, Senator Ted Kennedy reportedly told his staff that they could not accept expensive presents, "but if you could eat it, drink it or screw it'' you were okay.

[JC]

It was Monday Feb 13 and that meant time for ex Belfast Telegraph staffers to gather at the Urban Cafe to chew the fat and recall characters and friends from former days. Present yesterday was Stanley Matchett, still hard at work using her camera skills, with wife Mavis (nee Hunter) and they enjoyed the crack and added to it with the following joke which looks at newspapers and its readers ...

Daily Mirror - Is read by the people who think they run the country.

The Guardian -is read by the people who think they ought to run the country.

Morning Star - is read by people who think they are running another country.

Daily Mail -is read by the wives of people who think they are running the country.

Daily Express -is read by the people who think the country ought to be run the way it used to be run.

Daily Telegraph -is read by the people who think it still is.

The Sun -The readers don't care who runs the country, provided she has measurements 36/24/36.

[Blogmaster]

Irish publisher pulls regional titles from ABC

Ireland's leading newspaper publisher, Independent News & Media, has suddenly de-registered 12 of its regional titles from the industry's official circulation auditor, ABC.

Its decision emerged in public just the week before the scheduled publication of the ABC's "island of Ireland" sales report, due on 23 February.

*Read the full story in Greenslade's Blog by clicking on Guardian Media, top right.

[Derek Black]

Whao - that is fascinating. ABC figures did not resonate with advertisers so now we will have bespoke local surveys. What is that code for - we will make up our own figures? It all smacks of desperation. I fear for the future of local newspapers. Sounds like the next figures will be scary - wonder how the Tele will perform?

[ruthie]

JC you forgot to mention the 'I' paper which
is the only one I can afford, but does have plenty of info.
I am supporting it because the owners are backing freedom of the press, plus he busted yer man on a tv show in Russia.
Lebedev did the right hook I believe.
He also owns the English Tatler.
Did anyone see the Politics Show a few days ago ?

[Cal McCrystal]

A journalist boarded an airplane in the United States and took his seat. As he settled in to read his shorthand notes, he glanced up and saw the most beautiful woman boarding the plane..

He soon realized she was heading straight towards his seat .  As fate would have it, she took the seat right beside his.  Eager to strike up a conversation he put away his notes and blurted out, "Business trip or pleasure?"

She turned, smiled and said, "Business. I'm going to the Annual Nymphomaniacs of America Convention in Boston "

He swallowed hard. Here was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen sitting next to him, and she is going to a meeting of nymphomaniacs.

Struggling to maintain his composure, he calmly asked, "What's your business role at this convention?"

"Lecturer," she responded. "I use information that I have learned from my personal experiences to debunk some of the popular myths about sexuality."

"Really?" he said. "And what kind of myths are there?"

"Well," she explained, "one popular myth is that African-American men are the most well-endowed of all men,  when in fact it is the Native American Indian who is most likely to possess that trait.

“Another popular myth is that Frenchmen are the best lovers, when actually it is men of Jewish descent who are the best.  I have also discovered that the lover with absolutely the best stamina is the Southern Redneck."

Suddenly the woman became a little uncomfortable and blushed. "I'm sorry," she said, "I shouldn't really be discussing all of this with you. I don't even know your name.."

"Tonto," the man said, "Tonto Goldstein, but my friends call me Bubba."

[A.McQ.]

Cal: That wouldn't have been The Best Chairman We Ever Had by any chance?

[Cal McCrystal]

Not according to the shorthand notes ...

[Chairman]

I will have you know, McQ, that the beautiful woman on the plane was not a nymphomaniac until after she met me. Before I accepted her passionate advances I insisted on ticking the 'No Publicity' box. Which is why that Jewish Redneck Comanche is getting all the credit. .

[A.McQ.]

Interesting story on the UK Press Gazette website about a group of young people in Newry starting their own online newspaper called The Newry Times. Good luck to 'em. There's an interesting line in the story which says the police are actually not just supplying pictures for them but taking them specially for them. Here's the link: http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=48764&c=1

[William Graham]

Yes this The Newry Times has been going a while now. It looks quite good in terms of photographs and layout. A shoestring operation but interesting regarding weekly coverage. It will take time to gain some depth.

[ruthie]

That's the way forward. It's probably already worth half a mill at least.
It takes energy, but it will be worthwhile.
Re the lecturer on the plane story. Funnily enough I was at the centenary of the Battle of the Little Big Horn and have two massive pix of Sitting Bull and Chief Gall on my office wall.
They were Hunkpapa Dakota. Now I know why they were called Hunkpapa.
Was Cal the journo on the plane ?

[Blogmaster]

I have watched and read about the Leveson inquiry with dismay ... the attacks on journalists and newspapers. At one point I wished Mr Murdoch would bring back the News of the World and slap a few people in the face. Now, he is about to produce a new Sunday paper ... the Sunday Sun. It is expected to have a big sale and I won't be surprised. Here is the headline and intro to a piece in today's Guardian Media. Click on the link above to read it all ...

Sun on Sunday: Rivals likely to
take the biggest hit this weekend

Expect Murdoch's new edition to sell about 2.5m – and for the Sunday Mirror, People and Daily Star Sunday to forfeit readers.
Rupert Murdoch's Sun on Sunday marks the rebirth of one newspaper. But what impact will it have on others in a shrunken Sunday tabloid market? Seven months after the News of the World published for the final time, it is arguably Rupert Murdoch's rivals that look vulnerable.

A quick glance at the figures shows the News of the World's demise appeared to weaken the market overall. Of the News of the World's 2.67m sales (figure June 2011, source ABC), 1.3m simply disappeared. Half the rest went to the Sunday Mirror; the rest were split between the Daily Star Sunday and the People. Initial gains by the Mail on Sunday were rubbed out, although the Sunday Express made a little progress

.

[ruthie]

Marie Colvin was at the last outpost trying to get the real news out.
It makes the Leveson Enquiry look so sad and sick.
Millions being spent on trying to prove what? Colvin was apoplectic about the scandal of Syria, and trying to wake the world up to this carnage of civilians.
Colvin and her media colleagues were silenced literally from the midst of a forsaken nation.
Colvin's mother said it very well when she was asked if she would be interviewed today about Marie. Mrs Colvin said Marie was not a girl for 'No Comment' and that is why she would speak.
To hear the story on Cherie Blair seeking compensation from News of the World on such a day as this, beggars belief.
Maybe she and Hugh Grant will donate their compo to buy medical supplies for the Syrians.
Rupert Murdoch's Sun on Sunday is a welcome addition. He does tend to employ fearless reporters. Marie Colvin was one of them and an icon, she hardly had a phone signal from war zones, never mind have time to phone hack.

[Smyth]

I am told that one day, a long long time ago, there lived a woman who did not whine, nag or bitch. But it was a long time ago. And it was just that one day.

[ruthie]

And she probably didn't sit on the fence either.

[A.McQ.]

I should imagine she gossipped over the fence rather than sit on it.

[Chairman]

I fear the Leveson inquiry is fast becoming the Parliamentary expense fiddlers and showbiz diva's revenge on an institution that exposed their dirty deeds rather than PR spin they've have preferred. Newspaper men and women like Marie Colvin have been dying in foreign fields for hundreds of years. There may well have been earlier fatalities but the one I remember was Mark Kellog who died with General Custer at the Little Big Horn. When reporters go into danger zones they do not, as a rule, have personal bodyguards. MPs tend to be more cautious. I recall the female Home Secretary in Gordon Brown's late government, took bodyguards with her when she visited her own constituency. As has already been said, there are plenty of laws on the statute book to deal with reporters who break the law. Any more would be vindictive and smack of the personal petulance of the exposed rather than a respect for personal privacy.

[A.McQ.]

I have seen quite a few comments on here about the state of The Belfast Telegraph. I didn't realise how dire it had become until I looked at some of the copy about the death of Frank Carson. There is an interview of sorts with Eddie McIlwaine. Jesus wept. It quotes "Mr McIlwaine" etc etc but does not mention that for decades Eddie was one of the best reporters the paper ever had. What a bunch of tossers. They seem to be trying to bamboozle the readers. Anyone over a certain age will see Eddie's name and know exactly who he is.

[A.McQ.]

I should have made it clear that I was reading the website and not the actual paper. But it still doesn't alter my view that they appear to be a bunch of w--k--s.

[ruthie]

Mr McQueen - Are you on magic mushrooms ?

[Chris Harbinson]

Jim, I well remember the staged murder investigation put on by the gardai during the weekend at Malahide. I think they even roped in the State Pathologist whose name I recall because it was John Harbison.
I also remember the deplorable state I got into during the celebrations. It took me many years (some rollicking good nights and many I'd rather forget) before I learned that lesson from Malahide: That my head for drink didn't match my thirst for it.
I finally gave it up about 20 years ago.

[Blogmaster]

In view of the fact that, as Alastair right points out, the Belfast Telegraph's treatment of the death of Frank Carson was so poor bearing in mind the man's popularity at home and away, I felt it would like to put up the following links from the Daily Telegraph today as a tribute to the great comedian. The first is an article by Roger Lewis on the standard/quality or otherwise of today's comedians; the second link is a porper obituary on Frank Carson; and the third link is, gain from the DT, a record of Frank's jokes ... Now, couldn't the Belfast Telegraph have done some like that ...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/comedy/9100865/Youll-never-hear-the-one-about-the-Irishman-again.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9099677/Frank-Carson-obituary.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/celebritynews/9100105/Frank-Carson-jokes-its-the-way-he-toldem.html

FOOTNOTE: the Belfast Telegraph today carries Frank Carson's obituary and tributes and his jokes. See today's BY Page 1 in our Pictures album.

[Chairman]

It was something of a rite of passage for Belfast feature writers, at sometime in their career, to interview to wonderful and impossible Frank Carson. When he was over in Belfast for a panto at the Grand Opera House back in the 1970s or early '80s, I was granted a brief interview with Frank to plug his Christmas show. Arrived at the Europa at 10am expecting to have it down and dusted by eleven. Frank greeted me with the news that he was leaving for a golf game and would talk to me on the move. First move was to Downtown Radio in Newtowards for a prearranged live interview. Anyone who has ever interviewed Frank will tell you it is like trying to interview a tornado. He has a constant stream of consciousness gushing out a joke every few seconds. The taxi driver taking us to Ards was laughing so hard he nearly had us in the ditch more than once. The one-hour window in Frank's diary turned into an all day party. He never got to play golf and he and I wound up back at the bar of the Europa where he drank me into a stupor. Afterwards he walked out straight as a die, went on stage and did a two-and-a-half hour show. I had to go back to the empty, darkened office, and drink a gallon of coffee before I could walk straight never mind drive. A great man and a one-off. My sides were aching from the laughs almost as much as my head was from the alcohol. One of the best working days I ever misspent.

[Graham]

i agree with alastair that a belfast telgraphs caverage of frank carsons death was a BLOODY DSSAGRACE - THISis what comes of a too early deadline, freghing the paper up from newryand above all not hving a fingar on the pulse of the yulster public - shame - you get beeter obiuares in the nationals then in this so called rergional paper - ssorrsy for misatkes - but i feela ashamed at whay is oming out of royal vanue thes days

[Ian Sanderson]

Vale Frank Carson.
In my pre motor car days I used to travel to the BT in Derry at weekends by thumbing a lift from Glengormley.
One particularly bleak Sunday afternoon, complete with sleet and snow, no bugger seemed inclined to stop... except for one. He was on his way to a gig in St Columb's Hall.. and, yes, it was non-stop for the next two and a half hours.
The only time he almost slowed up was when we hit the Glenshane Pass - not the most pleasant spot in the bleak midwinter... but it wasn't long before we descended into Dungiven and the performance continued.. right to the door of my digs in the Maiden City.
The next time our paths crossed was in 1981, the year before we emigrated, when my daughter, Anya, had a role as one of his Opera House pantomime "babes" in the wood .
Memories...

[ruthie]

France 24 news web giving up to date news on the Syrian journalists situation both for injured and dead.

[JC]

Hands up those who did not buy today's launch paper, the Sun on Sunday? Bought as a sympathy vote and curiosity.

[DMcA]

Sun/Sun Not a real Sunday paper. As shallow as a saucer. First and last for me.

[Chris Ryder]

Boring splash. Did not buy it.

[Chairman]

Sun on Sunday launch. Most of the stories are a bit of a mystery if you've never watched reality TV programmes, game shows or have the slightest interest in 'celebrities'. Most of whom I'd never heard of but then I don't get out much. I've never heard of most of their columnists. Are they new? Altogether a disappointment. At least the old NOW had an attitude and at least one major scandal per issue. A lot of it reads like PR handouts. Maybe Murdoch didn't give the editorial staff time to get decent news stories or maybe he's aiming at the pre-teen market. It can't get worse so it has to get better.

[JC]

Most newspapers and Sunday ones too are full of celebrity claptrap ... the other three papers I had today had celebrity stories and at least the Sun's was a live or death story ... and Amanda Holden is popular. It doesn't do to get snobbish about papers, either ... This was a launch and Kelvin McKenzie on the Andrew Marr show this morning had praise for the SS's editor (now a seven day editor) and his team for the way in which they got the paper out and loaded with new columnists. I wish it well ...

[ruthie]

The returns on all the broadsheets at my local newsagent were heavy on Sunday. They sold out of 120 Suns.

[JC]

Likewise where I shop ... possibily readers wanted a 'first edition' as a keepsake. Interestingly, that 'boring' lead story was again the lead story in Northern Ireland's bestselling newspaper, the Sun, this morning ...

[Chairman]

I think we've all written our share of celebrity trivia. I was once assigned the task of ringing up local celebrities to ask what their favourite book was. One young (well, youngish) singer who appeared on television a few times, therefore qualifying as a 'celebrity', couldn't think of one. I mean she couldn't think of the title of a single book she'd ever read. Or even name one book she'd ever heard of. Shocked as I was at the time, (it was the '70s) I fear in this new century, it might be relatively easy to collect members for a 'Never-read-a-book-club.' However before we get our knickers in a twist we have to remember that most of the population of the world was illiterate up until little over a century ago and managed to survive. The great Somerset Maugham wrote a classic short story about the triumph of intelligence over illiteracy, called "The Verger". A humbling thought.

[Blogmaster]

In case some think of us as pro-Sun and Rupert Murdoch ... here is a piece by Peter Preston which cuts an even keel amid the news that the launch paper was a sell-out and the other news that after the demise of the News of the World, its readers gave up reading Sunday newspapers altogether ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/feb/26/sun-on-sunday-rupert-murdoch

Then, there's Roy Greenslade who looked at the Sunday Sun and had his own opinion ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/feb/26/sun-on-sunday-greenslade-review

[Smyth]

Ah, The Verger, above: It's my favourite in the Rank Organisation's 1950s anthologies of Maugham short stories (Trio, Quartet and Encore). The great James Hayter was the verger , who prospered BECAUSE he was illiterate, not despite it ,

[Chairman]

Forgive the typo, Mitch. I meant to say the Verger was a triumph of intelligence over literacy. NOT illiteracy. Sadly, lately my typing is often faster than my brain. Remember the great James Hayter well. And his perfect delivery of that classic last line in the movie. (And of course in Maugham's short story). My friend Graham McKenzie tipped me off about a great second hand book store near Bangor station where I picked up almost a complete collection of Maugham's short stories. Mostly in Penquin paperbacks. Great storyteller. When I asked for Maugham's books in Waterstone's a while back, I had to spell the name for the shop assistant in the shop. She'd never heard of him. And, tragically, neither had the store computer.

[ruthie]

Glad to see Charlotte Church can do a good speech. She booted the News International today big time.
She should have taken her 600 grand and said nowt.
The media put her up there when she first sang Pie Jesu.
Hope the Sun doesn't have a SAFT front this weekend. I hate SAFT leads, and Sunday was SUPERSAFT !

[Blogmaster]

Regional ABCs: Full breakdown
for all titles

The latest figures do not surprise too much ... the story is mostly fewer papers are being bought. The link shows all the papers and all the weekly papers also. In brief:

Belfast Telegraph : 53,771 ; -8.1%

Ulster - News Letter : 22,548 ; -4.7%

Irish News - Morning : 41,932 ; -5.2%

http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=48861&c=1

[Derek Black]

More depressing figures. I note that the lowest percentage drop from the paper that has no editor! What does that tell you? I remember when BT sold more than 200,000 a day. But did not have a television then. I take it these are gross figures including the freebies given away at the airport etc? Where will it all end? When they stop making money, I suppose.

[Chairman]

Some of you may have been wondering at the absence of contributions from our beloved President, Graham McKenzie, lately. Sadly Graham is out of commission for the moment having lost some power to his right arm and leg, due to illness. Typing has become very difficult for him, however we know our President well enough to imagine his response to some of the more bizarre exploits of the modern media. We all wish him well and hope he will be back and blogging again soon.

[Chris Ryder]

Hope you will soon be back in action Mr President. Best wishes.

[Kevin]

Interviews for the News Letter post are apparently under way this week. In response to Derek's question, the ABC report lists the actual paid-for sale of the Belfast Telegraph, excluding the giveaways, at 42,761.

[Derek Black]

That is an awful lot of freebies, Kevin. I wonder how they justify them. I always find a pile of BTs when I use the City Airport. But 10,000 a day seems crazy - where else do they give them away?

Irish News does not admit to any freebies which also strains my credulity. Today's paper claims they are outperforming their rivals. Actually, the Newsletter had a slightly lower percentage drop so I don't know how they justify that - maybe they are citing freebies as well.

Meanwhile, there is an interesting piece on Slugger O'Toole website with the thesis that Irish News will overtake the Telegraph over the next few years

http://sluggerotoole.com/2012/03/01/dead-tree-circulation-continues-to-decline-belfast-telegraph-dropping-at-nearly-twice-rate-of-news-letter-irish-news/

[JC]

The Telegraph freebies also go daily to the South Eastern Regional College in Bangor where the students and teachers are able to browse the pages over coffee and scones. I pick up a free paper every Wednesday and Thursday while attending for one reason and another ...

[sm]

There's also a pile of BTs in the foyer of the Marine Court Hotel in Bangor every day - diners in the restaurant take them away as the leave! News Letters are stock-piled in the bar upstairs.

[Mitchell Smyth]

Maybe the answer is for the Telegraph to go the way of the London Evening Standard, and GIVE all the papers away. That certainly did wonders for the Standard's circulation, I'm told.
And Graham, if you're reading this, get well soon.

[Smyth again]

A few words from this dinosaur: I've been in Florida for the past month (like every Feb and March). Almost daily I check the Toronto Star on line. But dammit I miss the paper version. The screen, to me, just isn't the same as turning the pages. Yes, that makes me a dinosaur; my sons get all their news from the web and TV. Also, for years while in Florida I could pick up that day's Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday (printed in Orlando) at the corner store. That print run ceased Dec. 31, I assume on grounds of cost. Maybe Brits aren't flocking to Disney World and Cape Canaveral any more -- or maybe the tablets have taken over.

[A.McQ.]

May I join with those wishing Graham a speedy and full recovery.

[sm]

Just heard you're not the best at the moment Graham. We're all wishing you a speedy and full recovery.

[Ian Sanderson]

And all the very best from the Antipodes...

[Fred Hoare]

Wishing you well and a speedy recovery from your photographic colleagues.

[Cal McCrystal]

There are many words for "courage": among them, backbone, audacio, bottle, fortitude, coraggio, intrepidez, daring, gumption, pluck, brio, constantia, mut, tharroz, spunk, misneach, bravery and, of course, Graham McKenzie.

[Derek Black]

Looks like RTE will be on Freeview after South switches off analogue signal in October. Some of you guys were talking about this a wee while ago.

[Chris Ryder]

Thanks. Will watch this.

[Graham]

tx for all yr a good wishes

[ruthie]

Best interview of the week was Gavin Esler's with the injured photographer Paul Crory at his hospital bedside. Very moving was Paul's promise that he would return to Syria someday and recover Marie Colvin's body. Although I think she has been since repatriated.
Amidst all the anti media enquiry stuff, not one government minister that I know of openly said they would help return Marie Colvin.
Fair play to the injured colleague, it was the reality of the world we live in.
The bottom line is the media are useful for promoting brands and personalities, but god forbid they do anything investigative.

[Derek Black]

Here's one for alll you style gurus and pedants. Volkswagen is calling its new city car the Up!. Is the exclamation mark out of order?

[A.McQ.]

Interesting point on Roy Greenslade's Media Guardian blog that "Stormount" has more PRs than there are journalists in Belfast.

[Chris Ryder]

Or Suppress Officers as they should be more accurately known.

[RedRick]

Derek, I thought RTE were switching over to digital sometime this month???