Your Noon Briefing: Gordon Argo, football photography, TV cameras in court, etc

TRIBUTES have been paid to a former reporter on the Aberdeen newspaper, the Evening Express, who has died aged 79.

Reports Hold the Front Page website, Gordon Argo, is described as having been a “determined” and “passionate” reporter.

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AN exhibition of photographs about Scottish football has opened, with Falkirk FC’s  stadium the first of several venues where it will appear.

Says Rebecca McQuillan, in The Herald newspaper, the exhibition has been commissioned by The Colours of Our Scarves anti-sectarianism project by Supporters Direct Scotland.

English photographer, Stuart Roy Clarke, is described as “the doyen of football photography”.

Jonathan Coates, in Saturday’s edition of The Scotsman, also reports the exhibition’s debut.

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SPEAKING to the Sunday Herald newspaper has been reportedly cited in a membership ban – lasting 100 years – on a former Scottish chair of UKIP.

Reports Paul Hutcheon and Tom Gordon, in yesterday’s edition of the paper, the ‘fatwa’ has been issued by UKIP to Paul Henke.

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THE academic behind a report suggesting that news coverage on BBC Scotland, STV and ITV has been more pro-Union than pro-independence has responded robustly to questions about, among other things, his methodology.

Dr John Robertson, from the University of the West of Scotland, provides a detailed response to concerns he says have been raised by BBC Scotland.

It is published on the website, newsnetscotland.com.

Former BBC Radio Scotland presenter, Derek Bateman, writes, in his blog: “I suggest you pick your way through it and wonder how the BBC get out of this one.”

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IF you are a journalist or newspaper reporting a Scots media tale, all you have to do is send the URL link to info@allmediascotland.com, and we’ll do the rest, to bring it to the attention of our readers.

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THE editor of the Independent on Sunday newspaper, Lisa Markwell, is inviting readers to ‘shape’ the newspaper – as she writes, here.

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JUST £55+VAT day rate at UK-wide Society of Editors’ conference aimed specifically at regional newspapers – as reported, here, on holdthefrontpage.co.uk

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TV cameras should be allowed to film more widely in Scottish courts, including from the very start of proceedings, the Law Society of Scotland has reportedly said.

“But,” continues Gareth Rose, in The Scotsman, “the national body, which represents all active solicitors in Scotland, said there would be a need for caution on the televising of certain cases involving co-accused and separate trials, sexual and family cases, and defamation in the civil courts.”

Rose’s piece includes a Q&A summary of the key issues.

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SOCIAL media has reportedly boosted the global reach of this year’s Celtic Connections music festival to record levels as it attracted more than 110,000 people and sold more than £1.15 million worth of tickets.

Writes Russell Leadbetter, in today’s Herald: “More than 2,000 artists from around the globe performed over 18 days in the 17th year of the event, which ended last night.

“Promoters said the use of social media had been outstanding and boosted interest around the world. The Facebook page attracted more than 20,000 likes and Twitter followers now stand at more than 12,000.”

Meanwhile, The Herald also today reports plans to ensure free wi-fi is available throughout Glasgow in time for the city’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games, later this year.

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THE Daily Record today reports that the ‘bedroom tax’ is to be banished from Scotland.

And it is savouring the moment, as a victory for a campaign that it has mounted.

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AN obituary for a former editor of a newspaper once owned by the Church of Scotland has been published in The Scotsman.

Revd. Dr. Denis Duncan died, aged 93, and his career included a decade editing the British Weekly newspaper.

Said an obituary in The Herald the week before last: “For many years, he contributed Saturday Meditations in the Daily Telegraph. He was also a gentle but firm interviewer on Scottish Television’s religious output and was involved in art and theatre at the Edinburgh Festival, where he produced Late Night Songs on the Festival’s fringe.

“For ten years, he was editor of the influential British Weekly newspaper when it was owned by the Church of Scotland, and, when it was sold in 1967 he moved to London with the new company which had been formed to purchase it.”

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VARIOUS tributes to the late Ron Hall, whose decorated career in journalism is reported to have included stints at The Herald and Scotland on Sunday, the latter – says The Independent, here – as consultant editor. Read the Press Gazette’s tribute, here.

SoS deputy editor, Kenny Farquharson, tweets today: “I remember him turning up at a lunchtime meeting at North Bridge with three bottles of Fitou. ‘Never had a dry lunch yet,’ he growled.”

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