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Media law expert Greenwood steps down from NCTJ role

Media law expert Walter Greenwood has stepped down from his role as chair of the National Council for the Training of Journalists’ law examinations board.

Walter, co-author of McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists and a law training consultant for Press Association Training, is one of the longest-serving contributors to the work of the NCTJ, having begun his first term on the North East regional committee in the 1960s.

He is succeeded by Mark Hanna, who has been a lecturer in the department of journalism studies at The University of Sheffield since 1996 and joined the NCTJ law board in 2002.

Mark will also take over from Walter as chief examiner.

Walter will continue membership of the law board as a senior examiner as well as keeping the NCTJ syllabus and question bank up-to-date on the continuous developments in media law, advising on Northern Ireland law and on the differences between English and Scots law.

He said: “I am handing over the chairmanship at a time when the NCTJ law exam has been almost completely revamped to meet the real needs of the newsroom, rejecting what is outdated or does not meet the need-to-know test.

“We now have a programme that grasps the legal challenges to publishing in 2006. What we have achieved owes much to the hard work that Mark and the rest of the law exam team have put in.

“I have now been on the law board for over 30 years, including two terms as chairman, but I look forward to being of further assistance in the future.”

Before joining The University of Sheffield Mark Hanna had spent 17 years working in the regional press, including the Western Daily Press, Sheffield Morning Telegraph and Sheffield Star, specialising in crime coverage and investigations.

He said: “Walter is, quite rightly, a legend because of his expertise in law and as a trainer, and because he has long been a fantastic ambassador generally for the NCTJ.

“He will be a very hard act to follow, but I am looking forward to the challenge. I am glad he will be on hand to offer me advice when I need it.”

Joanne Butcher, chief executive of the NCTJ, said: “I am grateful to Walter for returning to the chair of the law board in 2004 for an interim period to help us through a period of tremendous change and development of our media law qualifications.

“He is hugely popular and much loved by all those involved in the NCTJ and I am delighted that he will remain on the board and continue as a senior examiner and media law adviser to the NCTJ as well as a co-author of McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists.

“The NCTJ is fortunate that its law examinations remain in the very best hands with Mark Hanna’s appointment.”