Trinity Mirror’s Neil Benson is to be one of the panellists at the next Journalism Leaders Forum.

The regional editorial director will be among those considering the global impact of the local news business, at the first of three planned forums for the 2007/8 academic year at the University of Central Lancashire.

The event will also be the first of a series of activities planned to mark 45 years of journalism education at Preston, the oldest programme of its type in England.

The forums gather together editors and executives, leading journalists, consultants and academics, to examine local and global media challenges, with previous discussions including the implications of citizen journalism, and how traditional media brands survive in a wired world.

Previous panellists have included Lancashire Evening Post editor Simon Reynolds, Johnston Press chief executive Tim Bowdler, and John Fray, deputy general secretary of the National Union of Journalists.

The forums are run alongside UCLan’s Journalism Leaders Programme, which is aimed at senior journalists who want to develop their team-leading skills and acquire the ability to successfully manage staff.

The next Journalism Leaders Forum, on October 16, will begin at 5.15pm with a networking reception in the foyer of UCLan’s Greenbank Building. The 90-minute open event will start at 6pm.

Anyone wishing to attend should e-mail [email protected]

The discussion will also be Webcast live at http://breeze01.uclan.ac.uk/journalismleadersforum.