A host of top names from the national and regional press and broadcasting are set to get together to discuss the future of the news industry and debate the role of the media.

Privacy, the revamped newspaper and magazine code of practice, the Hutton report, the future of the BBC, 50 years of ITV, the future of broadcast news, and how journalists are recruited and trained, will all be debated at this year's Society of Editors' annual conference.

Southern Daily Echo editor Ian Murray, Liverpool Daily Post editor Jane Wolstenholme and North Devon Journal managing editor Andy Cooper will be among the speakers, alongside News of the World editor Andy Coulson, Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger and ITV's Clive Jones.

During the three-day event a series of discussions will be held, looking at hot industry topics such as newspaper sales and how, while weekly circluations continue to rise, some evening papers are also managing to bounce back.

NVQs will come under scrutiny when delegates talk about training and ways to attract and retain the most talented staff, and the Freedom of Information Act - which comes into force in January - will also be under the spotlight as delegates consider how it will affect the industry.

The conference will open with the Society of Editors Lecture on the evening of Sunday, October 17, and close mid-morning on Tuesday, October 19, after an address by incoming president Keith Sutton, editorial director of the Cumbrian Newspapers Group.

For booking forms and further details visit www.societyofeditors.org or e-mail info@societyofeditors.org.

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