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People talk about the decline of newspapers, but I see the very opposite.
Newspapers are in their most exciting phase. We have in the shops again today (and tomorrow) a bumper 144 page News Letter and Farming Life. Papers 40 years ago often had only 30 or 40 pages in total. But now we also have huge print editions and complementary digital versions and websites. Last night was a classic example of the interplay between them. Sorry this message is a bit later than usual, I was working until after 1am! But also, as I was helping colleagues to put the paper to bed, we got word of the lifting of the temporary ban on politicians' double jobbing, which will enable Sir Jeffrey Donaldson to enter Stormont without immediately having to relinquish his Lagan Valley Westminster seat.
So I tore up my weekly column and quickly wrote this analysis of the development for both our print and web editions
It meant the paper was a bit late off the presses, but I believe it is nonetheless in the shops, thank goodness ... And as always whether you read us in print or on a screen you will this weekend find so much to read. Our front page story is that the first minister Paul Givan has told the News Letter that the DUP will push to scrap vaccine passports this coming week In other news, unhappiness with Prince Andrew amid the allegations against him has led some people in Northern Ireland to ask for roads named after him to be changed. This report includes a video clip on the campaign: Our incoming political editor Henry McDonald writes here about how Boris Johnson is boosting nationalists in Scotland and Northern Ireland And this is another report with video clip on the Newy link of the woman who has the prime minister's fate in her hands The appalling murder of Ashling Murphy in Co Offaly has moved people across the island, with vigils in locations including Belfast and Portrush Meanwhile our Weekend interview is with Phil Coulter. Twenty years ago I interviewed the great man for another newspaper about his cars! Today he talks about how, growing up in the Maiden City, he never expected that Elvis would sing one of his songs. What a career - wow There is so much else to tell you about. . The latest 'Idea of the Union' book extract is from Dr WB Smith, who says unionism is again at the crossroads.
Mark Rainey reports here on the 30th anniversary of the Teebane atrocity
And here on the enduring concerns among defenders of the RUC about the police ombudsman reports into historic policing of the Troubles In sport, Patrick Van Dort has a look back at the Mid-Ulster Football League roots that helped shape Lee Bonis following this week’s £100,000 transfer from Portadown to Larne Oh and this coming week we will be previewing the Ken Branagh film Belfast as it opens in the UK. Here is a preview story about it Thank you for your continued interest in The News Letter.
If we can interest you, there's huge value in a subscription to The News Letter, through which you can secure unfettered access to our news, sport, opinion and lifestyle journalism, all produced for you here by our team across Northern Ireland.
We hope you have a good start to 2022.
Ben Lowry
Editor, The News Letter | 
