Tony Axon
Analysing the media: What we’re reading, viewing and listening to

Tony Axon is the leading commentator on media issues in Northern Ireland. A seasoned practitioner, planner and analyst across all media channels and contributor to many of Northern Ireland’s most successful and famous advertising campaigns. His career path includes Belfast Telegraph, Century Newspapers, Ulster Television, McCann Erickson and currently Navigator Blue. A past President of Belfast Junior Chamber, former Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, National Council member of ABC and currently council member of the Publicity Association of Northern Ireland.

Ray Hayden
Talking to the media: Do’s and don’ts

Ray Hayden has worked in newspapers, radio and television. For ten years, he was Business and Industrial Correspondent with UTV. In1995 Ray set up his own company, Anglewise Productions, which supplies finished programmes to many of the major broadcasting outlets as well as producing commercial video films. He advises a number of organisations on strategic public relations, and was formerly a special advisor to Reg Empey while he was Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment.

Deric Henderson
The role of the news agency

Deric Henderson, Ireland Editor of the Press Association has been a journalist for almost 40 years. He began his career on the Tyrone Constitution in his home town of Omagh, Co.Tyrone before joining the Belfast Telegraph in October 1973. He moved to Fleet Street in August 1980 to work for the PA before returning to Northern Ireland as one of the agency's staff reporters. He was appointed Ireland Editor just before the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998. He is married with two sons and lives in Belfast.

Maurica Lavery
Case study: Effective media campaigning

Maurica Lavery is Communications & Marketing Manager with The National Trust, Northern Ireland's largest conservation charity. An Accredited Practitioner with the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, she holds a Degree in Communications as well as Post Graduate Diploma's in Journalism and Public Relations. The National Trust won the Gold Award for 'Outstanding In House Public Relations Team’ in 2008 at the CIPR Pride Awards.

Denzil McDaniel
Understanding the world of local newspapers

Denzil McDaniel is Managing Editor of the Impartial Reporter in Enniskillen. A Fermanagh man, he was educated at Portora Royal School and spent three years working in the Civil Service before entering journalism. He has been a journalist with the Impartial Reporter since 1973, and became editor of the paper in 1987. He also writes extensively for other publications and his book "Enniskillen; the Remembrance Sunday bomb" was published in 1997.

Gary McDonald
What makes a good business story?

Gary McDonald has been business editor of the Irish News since January 2000, having previously spent nearly four years as editor of Ulster Business magazine. He began his career in journalism as a trainee reporter with his hometown newspaper, the Banbridge Chronicle, in 1979, before moving to the Ulster Star in Lisburn in 1986. He then served as editor of the Mid-Ulster Mail in Cookstown between 1989 and 1996. Gary was named as CIPR Northern Ireland Business Journalist of the Year on two occasions, 2000 and 2006, and in 2008 he won the Northern Ireland category in the UCD Smurfit School Irish Business Journalist Awards in Dublin.

Sam McIlveen
Exploring the growing role of new media

Sam joined Independent News and Media in Northern Ireland as Digital Publisher in 2008 following fourteen years with one of Belfast’s leading advertising agencies. As Digital Publisher Sam is responsible for the Belfast Telegraph’s online activity which includes the following websites www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk, www.niCarFinder.co.uk and the recently re-launched www.nijobfinder.co.uk. Last year saw audiences to the Belfast Telegraph’s news site grow from 400,000 a month to over 1 million users in January and revenues increase by over 50% year on year.

Fearghal McKinney
Chair

Fearghal McKinney is one of Northern Ireland’s leading broadcasters and journalists. Until recently he was a reporter and presenter for UTV, with a strong emphasis on political reporting, including hosting much of UTV’s local and general election coverage, as well as presenting the series Sunday Issue and The Issue. Before joining UTV he was a journalist at The Impartial Reporter and on Downtown Radio.

Jeremy Mitchell
Making it interesting for TV and radio

Jeremy Mitchell is a producer for current affairs programmes on BBC Radio Ulster. He formerly worked in independent radio in Northern Ireland as a reporter and was a reporter and producer for Radio Five Live in London. He has also worked in TV in Northern Ireland as a reporter for BBC. In 1998 he was the CIPR news radio reporter of the year and in 2007 was named as news broadcaster of the year.

Peter Morrow
Integrating the media into your communications strategy and measuring success

A former freelance TV presenter, Peter formed Morrow Communications in 1986, growing it to become one of Ireland’s largest PR consultancies. He is involved at some level in most client accounts, helping to set strategic direction and offering business advice. He is currently providing strategic counsel to high profile clients such as Translink, First Trust Bank, John Lewis, Rose Energy, ASDA, Dale Farm and Glenfarm Holdings.

Maurice Neill
The Northern Ireland media landscape

Maurice Neill co-ordinates the newspaper journalism course at Belfast Metropolitan College. This involves liaison with industry, management of staff, teaching and guidance. The course attracts 150 students each year and selects 50. Formerly a journalist at The Belfast Telegraph, he contributed to a daily page of news, a weekly business supplement and an annual magazine. In 1999 he received a commendation in the Northern Ireland Press and Broadcast Awards and in 1997 a special commendation in the Irish section of the European Journalism Awards.

Liz Young
Handling the media crisis effectively

Liz Young is Head of Media and Public Relations for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The department of Media and Public Relations is the primary resource available to officers and staff in dealing with the media. The department processes all requests for information, interviews and queries from media. Prior to taking up this role in March 2008, Liz was Head of Communications for NI Water and had responsibility for managing internal and external communications and public affairs.