Leading judge Sir David Eady will open a free conference on privacy at the University of Kent next month.

Entitled ‘Privacy and the Individual’, it is being held on 13 February at the university’s Medway Campus from 10am to 4.30pm.

It will also include contributions from Steve Mitchell, deputy head of news at the BBC, and members of the Kent Law School.

The conference is free for University of Kent students and £25 for other visitors. To register an interest in going email [email protected].

Journalism trainer Cleland Thom has produced an e-book about the new privacy rules introduced on social networking website Facebook.

New legal and ethical issues have been thrown up as a result of the changes which could affect journalists’ work.

The new e-book aims to help reporters use the site as a source of information, photos and quotes.

Copies cost £9.95 each and bulk discounts are available – for more information email [email protected].

The date for the third annual How-Do Media Awards has been announced.

The great and the good of the North West’s press, PR and media industry will gather at the Palace Hotel in central Manchester for the ceremony on 29 April.

Details about entry and table bookings will be announced in due course on How-Do.

Senior figures from the National Union of Journalists met with management from Johnston Press yesterday.

Talks were held over the press publisher’s plans to close its final salary pension scheme to the build of future benefits, as reported last Friday.

The proposal is aimed at cutting the company’s pensions deficit.

Its final salary scheme was closed several years ago to new employees and from 1 July, it is proposed, future benefits would only be available by joining JP’s money purchase scheme.

WAN-IFRA, the global industry organisation for the newspaper and news publishing industry, has appointed Christoph Riess as its new group chief executive.

The appointment follows last year’s merger of the World Association of Newspapers, based in Paris, and IFRA which is based in Darmstadt.

He will commence his new role at the start of next month.