Haven't got a copy of it yet but intend to buy one, hopefully tonight, and if not then tomorrow. Sounds promising, especially as the Belfast Telegraph, IMO, turns more 'tabloidy'.

OK got it and due to social engagements have only skimmed it so far, but I'm disappoitned with so many pages devoted to the Pope's death. It's true, as an atheist I may be missing the point, but this is old news today. 5 pages in the Sunday Life yesterday was more than enough. Perhaps nothing happened in Belfast worth talking about.

I don't think that's fair, Beano.

Quite aside from being spiritual leader for so many people in Greater Belfast, the Pope's contribution on the world stage (whatever you think of it) marked him out as one of the major players of our generation. It is not unreasonable to spend so long paying respects, and reviewing his life. He did a heck of a lot more to deserve the attention than many other 'celebrities' who get just as vast coverage.

I've long called for a real cross-community paper - it'll be tough, but I know they've got some excellent people on board working for the paper and I wish it every success.

I bought this paper today and am sorry I I did. It's completely bland but unashamedly sees its centre of gravity as London and what happens on the mainland. It baffles me how this can be viewed as something which appeals to both sides...

I won't be buying it again.....

Bought it yesterday inspired by its claim 2 be a 'new modern paper for a modern belfast' blah blah, but Im afraid in its attempt to avoid anything 'green and orange' it has lost substance and appears more like a paper magazine consisting of beauty tips and celeb gossip than anything interesting.Had to dig deep to find any 'real' new of what was going on in Belfast

What do unionists think of the Irish News?

I know it's nominally a nationalist paper, and its editorials are, I suppose, a pale green, but I would have thought it was as close as we have to a cross-community paper?

Cross-community in that it offers serious journalism, a decent daily read and, though perhaps a little, Stoop-friendly isn't particularly party political. It's quite sensitive to unionist concerns but it ain't unionist. But a lot of Sinn Fein activists and supporters hate it because its not nationalist enough.

I suppose it fits that old journalistic maxim that if you're pissing everyone off, you must be doing something right?

Or am I totally off-beam here?

Oops, sorry, wrong thread...

12 pages of English and Scottish soccer - but not one story about GAA - does this newspaper really want to lose money for its proprietors? This is a complete waste of rain forest.

Kathryn

but Im afraid in its attempt to avoid anything 'green and orange' it has lost substance

That's enough about the Alliance Party, what did you think of the actual paper...?! :))

(Thought I'd better get in before someone else did...!)

BP

Sorry, I off-beamed back to the other thread in response...

But like I say, being 'cross-community' without just being plain bland is very difficult. Take even just the language: Is it 'Derry' or 'Londonderry'? 'Catholic' or 'Roman Catholic'? 'across the north' or 'across the province'?

In fact, you need to set yourself out to be inclusive with a purpose, otherwise people will lose interest and retreat to the usual camps or even more likely the 'non-voter/non-newspaper-buyer' camp.

That applies to both Alliance and the Daily View, by the way! :)

"It's completely bland but unashamedly sees its centre of gravity as London and what happens on the mainland."

I'm confused Oilbhear, I thought that London was on an island just off the Mainland.

What do unionists think of the Irish News?

Until recently this Unionist thought it was by far the best in its coverage of local news, but to be fair the News Letter has improved in leaps and bounds under Austin Hunter after years of the awful Geoff Martin's stewardship.

Davidbrew

I'd respectfully suggest you're basing your opinion of the News Letter on its politics rather than on its journalistic content.

I thought the News Letter was a good paper under Geoff Martin. It was a decent read and as a nationalist I was often surprised by the balance and reason in its editorials. I suspect your criticism of Geoff Martin is based on his politics rather than his journalism - which was, I am told by my friends in the fourth estate, quite highly regarded.

However the paper had its nadit under the abortive editorship of Nigel Wareing, who turned seemed to think that because its readers were unionists, they would tolerate the dreadful journalistic standards common in English newspapers. (I think I'm right in saying Wareing is an Englishman himself? He was wrong to think Irish readers would accept Fleet St-style guff, and the paper haemmhoraged readers.)

It's much-improved now, but it's not as much of a grown-up read as it was a few years ago. But ever since Peter Robinson ripped up a News Letter live on UTV in November '03 it has become a strongly DUP paper, often leading on a DUP press release (which is pathetic really).

But then it's a very common think that journalism we agree with is ``good journalism''.

``nadit''

That should, of course, have read ``nadir''. And I meant to say something too about Geoff Martin's News Letter being strongly pro-Agreement.

"And I meant to say something too about Geoff Martin's News Letter being strongly pro-Agreement."

i.e. at odds with more than half of the potential readership.

I still haven't come across a copy of the Daily View.

No page 3 girl then Davros?

:p

"i.e. at odds with more than half of the potential readership."

Stalford, by potential, do you mean that it's potentially possible for more of your party's supporters to learn to read?

I dread to think what an Irish Page 3 girl would be like DH !

Chris

``i.e. at odds with more than half of the potential readership.''

Is it completely beyond your ken that many people buy newspapers for reasons other than their political coverage?

For example, most nationalists now vote Sinn Fein, yet an overwhelming majority of the nationalist newspaper-buying public get the SDLP-friendly Irish News, rather than the more republican Daily Ireland.

Why? Well, the Irish News has great GAA coverage for starters. Doesn't matter which way you vote: if you're a northerner and you're into GAA, the Irish News is your bread and butter. It's not the editorial pages you reach for when the championship is on.

It also seems to have a good grasp of the fact that it's a regional paper in an intensely localised place where there are no more than two degrees of separation between anybody. (The unionist dailies are hamstrung by the quixotic and self-defeating perception that they are `national' newspapers.)