Leader of the Opposition Michael Howard MP and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens will be the keynote speakers at the Society of Editors' annual conference in Newcastle upon Tyne later this year.

The conference, Let's Get Real, is to be held between October 17 and 19, and will open with the Society of Editors Lecture on the Sunday evening.

Main conference sessions will take place on the Monday at the Conference Hotel - the Copthorne - on the quayside, followed by the gala annual dinner at the Discovery Museum.

The event will close mid-morning on Tuesday, October 19, after a breakfast seminar that will debate "What makes a good journalist?", followed by an address by incoming president Keith Sutton, editorial director of the Cumbrian Newspapers Group.

Current SoE president Neil Benson, editorial director of Trinity Mirror Regional Newspapers, said: "Newcastle is a vibrant city with a real buzz about it and we are aiming to produce a conference in a similar vein.

"I had seven extremely happy and interesting years based in the city and I am very much looking forward to going back."

For booking forms and further details visit www.societyofeditors.org or email info@societyofeditors.org.

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