Cinematically the vision of this newspaper would be a wide shot over-looking the grounds of Queen's…read morewhere everybody has stopped in their tracks to read some breaking news which changes the face of Queen's and Belfast forever. Sadly The Gown probably isn't going to be the first publication to break some earth-shattering exclusives, leaving it acting more as reading material over lunchtime if you don't have any reading left to do before class. It is a good publication but I did lose a bit of respect when it published a picture of a swearword spray painted with graffiti on a road. They already have a potential audience of however many thousands and I don't think they needed to do this. Though with respect to them, they publish any letters of complaint that they get and they did publish one about this which for me showed that their heads are in the right place. I do pick up the Gown whenever I see it about because it does have some very good reviews of films/music as well as listing the gigs coming up in the Student's Union. This is certainly the start of something great for the Gown. A newspaper should be inventive, and should have great journalism. If the Gown can take the next step up from a student newspaper, it could make people stop in their tracks because it really does deserve it.

For a university publication, its as good as it gets. With twenty five years of publishing on…read moreQueen's campus it certainly has covered most student issues, union debates and topical residential kerfuffles over its time. Now coming out every fortnight it manages to talk straight to student and give them what their looking for in terms of features, political reviews and basic hard news. The one thing I do miss about this year's Gown, which has only published issue so far is the absence of The Hood. This was a section at the back of the paper which was anonymous and could simply slag student union reps, authority figures and keep the whole thing on good Belfast banter terms. It is sadly missed for a good laugh and to print what everyone else is thinking!

I was fortunate enough to do an internship with this company, working for their business website…read moreInsideIreland.ie. I came across a small advertisement which wanted a person to work as a journalist for two months and it was an enlightening experience, one which has not only boosted my CV but also encouraged me to look more closely at the journalism route which I had lost all interest in after a dreadful open day at school. The office is small, but feels like a proper team office where everyone knows eachother and everyone is working towards the same goals. It made me think about writing my own magazine but as yet I have not actually thought any more about it.... However, Adman Publishing also makes a publication Belfast Beat which is a free magazine that specialises in entertainment and arts for Belfast. I did not get to work on this (thankfully) as to run a free magazine sounded like way too much work for me! Adman I feel is in the process of becoming a big company and hopefully will be able to expand to something bigger and better. I am glad I was a part of it, and hopefully if they do expand I'll get to work with them again.

I had the pleasure of doing an internship at The Irish Times Belfast office earlier this year…read more Fanum house, even with it's gray industrial exterior, broken lifts and air conditioning, still holds a certain charm for me. It was here I had the pleasure of working with Gerry Moriarty, Northern Editor and Dan Keenan, Northern News Editor, in the events running up to the devolution of policing and justice powers back in February 2010. The Irish Times northern correspondents have been based there since the seventies. Generally, the northern office contributes about seven stories or commentary pieces to the paper each day. The Irish Times, which is based in Dublin was established in 1859 and focuses on Irish news and politics, as well as international news, sports, arts and culture. The northern office mainly focuses on political issues in the province. The paper is published 6 days a week, Monday to Saturday. It is regarded as the most reputable newspaper in Ireland. The office is run by a super lady named Faye. If you ring with any queries, Faye will sort you out. Like most newspaper offices, the Irish Times Northern HQ (referred to the editor as 'The Rat Pit') has it's quirks. Most notably- an office which is painted completely green, yes even the radiators, the exuberant and charming cleaning lady from the Falls road and an old Jewish businessman who calls in every week with a pair of scissors to cut out sections of the previous days paper.

With the usual amount of tabloid rubbish taking up way too many pages, at least we can always rely…read moreon a newspaper ending in "times" to provide something of a journalistic approach to their job. When it comes to news papers, if it ends in "times" or "telegraph" 9 times out of 10 it probably has something to do with current affairs on their front page, and not something to do with Ashley Cole taking photographs of his bits and pieces to send to prostitutes. The Irish Times, though not my first choice in newspapers, certainly has me interested whenever I see it lying about. The journalism is focused on "important" events, usually politics but unlike a lot of the English press, the Irish Times relies heavily on local events, and local news stories. If it is a solid newspaper with it's head in the right place that you are after, then this is certainly worth a read. However if you want to find out about some X Factor winner going on a date with someone who once played football for Bristol City, then you probably will not find it in this paper. And rightly so.

Having worked for Connected and State, two Dublin based music magazines since about 2006 I think I…read morecan give a pretty comprehensive overview of AU Magazine. AU is NI's main alternative music mag (as you may have guessed from the title!) and is published monthly. It carries a mix of interesting and in-depth music features, a very comprehensive and clued-in section called incoming- tipping some hot new bands, the best of Northern Irish indie bands, interviews with major bands and a cracking website. My only criticism is that they could probably dig a little deeper on their own doorstep for Northern Irish bands as opposed to rehashing news about well known bands. The design is pretty simple, nothing very arty or imaginative. They also cover some Southern Irish bands, which is something I really think needs to happen more. There's only a mere two hours between Belfast and Dublin and so much great homegrown music going on in each city, but yet there is little or no crossover. Now if only they'd answer my email, I'd sort it out!!

I feel that the reviews of Alternative Ulster have been very over critical so far, so I want to set…read morethe story straight! The music scene in Northern Ireland has been growing rapidly for the last5 years, with a few bands starting to break internationally like Two Door Cinema Club, Fighting with Wire and so on. There is a very vibrant local scene ranging from the dream pop of bands like the Wonder Villains to the ska/punk hybrid of Pocket Billiards to the metal/comedy mix of Mental Deficiency! All these bands I have mentioned and many more have been profiled and reviewed in the pages of AU.The staff of AU are primarily volunteers, so to be producing the high quality publication that they do is a real credit to them. There are big interviews; band profiles album reviews, gig reviews and many interesting and irreverent articles. Their website is well updated and their forums has a fairly rich community too. As also mentioned y another reviewer, AU is now totally FREE! That in itself should quell the complaints of others! The online viewer works great and physical copies can be picked up from certain places, so kudos to AU for making this great magazine available to everyone for free!

Fate is not one of my preferred free mags. Gosh, never thought I'd hear the day I said that. But it…read morereally shows the high standard of these types of glossies, which has really risen sharply in the past couple of years. Fate isn't as easy to follow as some of the others, nor is it as interesting, and its pages are mainly a nod to some kind of advertisement. However, I have somewhat enjoyed the two latest editions for a couple of reasons: a) June's edition was packed full of Graduation dinner tips, ads and recommendations. Ok, so I ended up not actually going anywhere (evening graduation is to blame for that one), but it was useful and concise and would definitely have benefited those looking for a suitable restaurant in which to celebrate. b) There are a ton of vouchers plonked right in the middle of the July / August edition - everything from a complimentary Kopparberg (Strawberry and Lime flavour) in Botanic Inns when you buy a pear Kopparberg, to free entry to Touch night club. Oooooh bargains. I haven't totally written Fate off yet.

This is actually an advertising vehicle dressed up as a little glossy mag. But, hey it's free and…read moreit is glossy, so what's not to like? It's a dinky handbag size publication which is totally professionally produced and I think it looks pretty darn good, despite its shameless plugs for various businesses. There are plenty of full page ads for upmarket clothes shops and the kind of bathroom and kitchen showrooms which set the husband's nerves on edge just by driving past. There are also lots of photos of various glam people at various glam events like fashion shows and race days. I particularly like the fashion pages which are genuinely well styled and good for ideas. As this is a local publication, you can be sure that all the clothes can be bought locally which is an improvement on some of the national glossies. The problem page is interesting too as it's written by an ex Miss Northern Ireland which presumably is an excellent qualification to give people advice on life's little problems. Unlike some of the big glossies, there's actually plenty to read in Fate (60 seconds with... is another good one) so my advice is if you see a copy, snaffle it and enjoy

I never thought I'd see the day when I found a decent fashion magazine published in Northern…read moreIreland, and containing more than just prolific pictures of exorbitantly priced clothing. Well, it would appear I have. Eve provides an accessible peek into affordable fashion, with garments coming from the likes of chain stores such as River Island and French Connection, but also apparel from the likes of local shops such as Liberty Blue and Posh Frocks. It's focus is much wider than fashion at large though. This month's edition features an interview with Kylie (oh my word...have you heard her new song?!), another interview with The Wanted, an article on safe internet usage on websites such as Facebook, another article on whether or not women should make the first move (good qu!), as well as a guide to night life, TV and film. I personally really liked it, although there are better magazines which aren't local. However, as Northern Irish magazines go, Eve is one of the best.

This is the biggest scam going. Not only have they conned their advertisers out of money, they have…read morelaid off staff without paying them, defamed them and are now embroiled in lawsuits. Support the local media industry by not bothering with this rag: absolutely disgraceful.