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One in a series of free debates and panel sessions by the Society of Editors tackling the most pressing issues facing the media industry today.

The long overdue reform of libel laws in Northern Ireland and ongoing threats to journalists and press freedom more widely will be discussed.

Titled ‘Northern Ireland: A Place Apart?’ the free debate will see editors and press freedom advocates in Northern Ireland discuss efforts to implement overdue and meaningful libel reform in NI alongside paramilitary threats to journalists, media plurality and privacy injunctions. The announcement of the debate comes as Belfast’s Sunday Life has seen a convicted money launderer launch a publicly-funded legal bid against the newspaper in an effort to win lifetime anonymity.

Chaired by Martin Breen, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life, the discussion will also hear from Noel Doran, Editor of the Irish News, Sam McBride, Political Editor of the News Letter, Fergal McGoldrick, specialist media litigation solicitor at Carson McDowell, Allison Morris, security correspondent and columnist at the Irish News and Mike Nesbitt, Ulster Unionist MLA.

Join the conversation on Twitter @EditorsUK

Check out the rest of our Virtual Conference 2020 programme at https://www.societyofeditors.org/events/conference-2020/programme/

With thanks to sponsors Facebook Journalism Project and Camelot, who have supported the Society since 2001.

Martin Breen, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life

Martin Breen is Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Independent News and Media in Northern Ireland which publishes the Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life. In this role he retains the Editorship of Sunday Life. Martin first joined the Belfast Telegraph as a graduate trainee in 1998, later becoming a reporter at Sunday Life. He left in October 2001 to join News UK, rejoining Sunday Life as Executive Editor in January 2008 and becoming Editor in May 2009.

Noel Doran is the longest serving editor of a daily newspaper in Ireland, north or south, having been appointed to his post at The Irish News in April, 1999. He was previously the paper’s deputy editor and also worked for Downtown Radio/Cool FM, The Belfast Telegraph, The Ballymena Observer and The Antrim Guardian. He was named Northern Ireland’s feature writer of the year at the 1998 Institute of Public Relations awards. In a poll among readers of the Hold The Front Page website in February 2020, he was voted the UK’s best regional daily editor of the 21st century.

Sam McBride, Political Editor of News Letter

Sam McBride is the News Letter’s Political Editor, having begun his career at the Belfast Telegraph after studying English literature and then a postgraduate course in newspaper journalism at Ulster University. His first book, Burned: The Inside Story of the ‘Cash-for-Ash’ Scandal and Northern Ireland’s Secretive New Elite, was published by Merrion Press in October 2019 and became a Sunday Times, Irish Times and Amazon bestseller. Sam is also a frequent broadcaster, providing analysis of political developments to audiences in Northern Ireland, Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland, and beyond.

Fergal McGoldrick, specialist media litigation solicitor, Carson McDowell

Fergal McGoldrick is a specialist media litigation solicitor with Carson McDowell in Belfast. He acts on behalf of numerous publishers including Sunday Life, The Irish Independent, The Sun, Belfast Telegraph and The Daily Telegraph defending libel, privacy and data protection cases in Northern Ireland.

A Chamber and Partners ranked defamation and reputation management specialist for seven consecutive years, he also delivers guest lectures on media law at Ulster University’s MA in Journalism (NCTJ accredited), was consulted on the Northern Ireland chapter of McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists, (24 th Ed.,) and provides commentary to the media on media law matters.

Allison Morris, Crime and Security Correspondent and Columnist, Irish News

Allison Morris is a crime and security correspondent and columnist with the Irish News in Belfast. A journalist for over 21 years she has won a number awards, including NUJ journalist of the year, CIPR columnist of the year and Society of Editors, journalist of the year and columnist of the year.

Mike Nesbitt MLA, former Ulster Unionist Party leader

Mike Nesbitt is a Member of Northern Ireland’s Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Strangford since 2011 and a former broadcaster.

Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party from 2012-17, Nesbitt has held positions including Chair for the Committee of the Executive Office and Chief Negotiator for the UUP at the Stormont House Talks in 2014.

He was one of Northern Ireland’s Victims Commissioners from 2007-10 where he was appointed to promote the interests of victims and survivors of the Northern Ireland conflict.

Prior to his political career, Nesbitt spent 13 years as an anchor and broadcast journalist for Ulster Television covering events from the Omagh bombing to the talks leading to the Good Friday Agreement.

Nesbitt was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge.

Northern Ireland: A place apart?