In this episode of What Northern Ireland Means to Me, we meet Malachi O'Doherty, who is a writer and commentator. TRANSCRIPT I think in some ways there's a wave pattern in history in Northern Ireland, and the wave pattern being one between trouble and peace. A lot depends on where you were born on … Continue reading WNIMTM — Malachi O’DOHERTY
"Attempts to reclaim resilience in order to imagine and build better futures should not be trivialized or dismissed, not least because urban resilience (and resilience thinking more broadly) has been (and continues to be) embraced by progressive institutions, community organizations, grassroots struggles, and oppositional campaigns. Given material hardships, it is not difficult to see why … Continue reading Portfolio — Shaking Up the City (Tom Slater)
In this episode of What Northern Ireland Means to Me, we meet Rich Dale, who is an entrepreneur and environmentalist. TRANSCRIPT I was born and raised in Portadown. I've lived in Belfast for about 20 years. Generally see myself as Northern Irish, first. But beyond any other identities, whether it's Irish or British or … Continue reading WNIMTM — Rich DALE
Book review: Reporting beyond the Problem (eds Karen Hopkinson and Nicole Dahmen) by Allan LEONARD 9 September 2021 While there is a historic tradition of journalism that strives towards a common, public good (however defined), this has occurred in a paradigm of a professionalisation of journalism and a business model where editors responded to a … Continue reading Book review — Reporting beyond the Problem (eds Karen Hopkinson and Nicole Dahmen)
In this episode of What Northern Ireland Means to Me, we meet Quintin Oliver, who's an activist, a campaigner, a lobbyist, and a public policy specialist. TRANSCRIPT I was brought up in east Belfast in what was termed a Protestant house in a Protestant area. And I went to a Protestant school and my … Continue reading WNIMTM — Quintin OLIVER
A concise, well written, and thoughtfully illustrated book about a master of surrealism. Learnt interesting insights about Rene Magritte. One can appreciate how aspects of his life affected his artistic work, including his family experiences, coming of age, and his (sometimes fraught) relationships with friends and peers. The book also provides good explanations of the … Continue reading Book review — This is Magritte
Exposure therapy: Natural Connections exhibition by Allan LEONARD 17 June 2021 Belfast Exposed launched its exhibition, “Natural Connections”, which showcases 60 shortlisted images, from over 1,400 received. The competition ran earlier this year, asking people to submit images that represented connections with nature, which “sustained, surrounded, supported, and encouraged people and communities” during the pandemic. … Continue reading Exposure therapy: Natural Connections exhibition
Book review — World Press Photo 2021 by Allan LEONARD 26 June 2021 World Press Photo 2021 is a book compilation of finalists of its annual competition. Entries are submitted by professional visual journalists. There were nine juries across the photo and digital storytelling contests. For the 2021 contest, general jury chair, Nayantara Gurury Kakshapati, … Continue reading Book review — World Press Photo 2021
The media’s role in peacebuilding: none of its business? by Allan LEONARD 9 June 2021 So is peacebuilding none of the media’s business? That was a conclusion that broadcaster and journalist, Declan Harvey, posed to a panel of fellow journalists and writers at an online webinar delivered through Belfast City Council’s PEACE IV Programme, which … Continue reading The media’s role in peacebuilding: none of its business?
Disinformation in a pandemic: sharing fact checkers’ experiences 23 March 2021 As part of the Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas and Politics, editors from three fact-checking organisations across these isles shared their experiences of work during the pandemic — Claire Milne (Full Fact), Christine Bohan (TheJournal.ie), and Allan Leonard (FactCheckNI). The event was hosted by … Continue reading Disinformation in a pandemic: Sharing fact checkers’ experiences
Documenting natural connections through photography by Allan LEONARD 10 April 2021 Melanie Law, who has just joined the Eve Blair Show on BBC Radio Ulster, interviewed Christopher Barr and me for her inaugural feature (at 26:00). The discussion was on photography and a competition that Belfast Exposed is hosting, in conjunction with Translink and Arts … Continue reading Documenting natural connections through photography
Appropriate and accessible storytelling in museums and heritage sites by Allan LEONARD 26 March 2021 During an Imagine! Festival event, academics and practitioners shared their knowledge and experiences of the use of storytelling in museum and heritage site environments, as a means of evoking emotion in appropriate and accessible ways. “Storytelling enables us to learn … Continue reading Appropriate and accessible storytelling in museums and heritage sites
