The Impartial Reporter
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''The Impartial Reporter'' is a newspaper based in
Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 14,086 at the 2011 censu ...
,
County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of and had a population of 63,585 as of 2021. Enniskillen is the ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
which is circulated in Fermanagh, South Tyrone and the border counties of the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
. It is the third-oldest newspaper in Ireland, and is Fermanagh's oldest surviving weekly newspaper.


19th century


Founding

The ''Impartial Reporter'' was founded in 1825 by William Trimble. Trimble took over from the original owner, printer John Gregsten. William Trimble was called the "Father of the Irish Press". During its early decades, coverage of the Great Famine was one of the top stories. The newspaper emerged the survivor of intense competition by rival newspapers in its early years.


The Land War

The ''Impartial Reporter'' began to take notice of the plight of
tenant farmer A tenant farmer is a farmer or farmworker who resides and works on land owned by a landlord, while tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and ma ...
s. It became an early and outspoken champion of poor farmers during the 19th century's
Land War The Land War () was a period of agrarian agitation in rural History of Ireland (1801–1923), Ireland (then wholly part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom) that began in 1879. It may refer specifically to the firs ...
. With the passage of the
Land Law (Ireland) Act 1881 The Land Law (Ireland) Act 1881 (44 & 45 Vict. c. 49) was the second Land Acts (Ireland), Irish land act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Background The Liberal Party (UK), Liberal government of William Ewart Gladstone had previ ...
, real reform began to take hold. Still, the newspaper continued to advocate for those who were still being "victimised" by unreasonable rents, the practice of using land courts (which were tilted towards landlords) to intimidate tenants, and other disadvantages. In August 1881, it rejected Parnell's more radical
Land League The Irish National Land League ( Irish: ''Conradh na Talún''), also known as the Land League, was an Irish political organisation of the late 19th century which organised tenant farmers in their resistance to exactions of landowners. Its prima ...
proposals as a threat to social and political order. The newspaper's campaign on behalf of farmers did not go unanswered. The ''Fermanagh Times'' was established in 1880 as a mouthpiece in opposition to the ''Impartial Reporter'' and other reformers. It was patronized by land-owning conservatives, and was run by William Ritchie.Murphy, Eileen M.; William J. Roulston; eds. (2004). ''Fermanagh History and Society: Interdisciplinary essays on the history of an Irish County''. Dublin, Ireland: Geography Publications, pp. 309-310.


Unionism

In 1885, the editorial position was that the conflict between landlords and tenant farmers was a far more serious issue than the political arguments between
Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...
and Orange factions. The
Orange Order The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants. It also has lodges in England, Grand Orange Lodge of ...
was seen as being dominated by landed interests, and was generally opposed. The ''Impartial Reporter'' long reserved its opinion on the
Home Rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...
question—backing
Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...
's position. While the ''Impartial Reporter'' remained sceptical of Unionism, the rival ''Fermanagh Times'', reflecting its supporters' views, took an early Unionist stance. The ''Impartial Reporter'' eventually converted to supporting Unionist views during the second Home Rule debate in the early 1890s. It gradually became the most vocal advocate for Unionism in the county, eclipsing even the ''Fermanagh Times''.


Recent history

The ''Impartial Reporter'' was owned and published by the Trimble family until 2006, one of the last owners being the pianist and composer
Joan Trimble Joan Trimble (18 June 1915 – 6 August 2000) was an Irish composer and pianist, and one of the most distinguished musicians to come from Ulster in the 20th century. She studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music ...
(1915–2000). It was then sold to Ulster News Group (a subsidiary of Dunfermline Press, Ltd.). It holds the world's record for being the newspaper to have its ownership longest in the hands of a single family. The Trimble family continued to exercise a managing role in the newspaper. In 2008, the ''Impartial Reporter'' was named as "Newspaper of the Year" in the inaugural
Slugger O'Toole Slugger O'Toole is a weblog started in June 2002 by political analyst Mick Fealty. It began life as Letter to Slugger O'Toole, focused primarily on news and comment about Northern Ireland. From the beginning it has drawn its readership from a w ...
political awards. Dumfermline Press went into receivership after the death of owner Deirdre Romanes and were acquired by management and
Lloyds Bank Lloyds Bank plc is a major British retail banking, retail and commercial bank with a significant presence across England and Wales. It has traditionally been regarded one of the "Big Four (banking)#England and Wales, Big Four" clearing house ...
under the name Romanes Media in 2012.
Newsquest Newsquest Media Group Limited is the second largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the United Kingdom. It is owned by the American mass media holding company Gannett. It has 205 brands across the UK, publishing online and in pr ...
acquired Romanes Media in 2015. In 2019, Sarah Saunderson, the editor, quit her job. She said her decision followed a "perfect storm" in which the recession and emerging online competition struck an often devastating blow to local newspapers across the UK. Mark Conway replaced Sanderson as editor. In June 2023, former reporter Rodney Edwards was appointed editor of the newspaper.


Notes


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Impartial Reporter Newspapers published in Northern Ireland Mass media in County Fermanagh Enniskillen 1825 establishments in Ireland