NORTHERN PLANNER

I went to see State of Play last night, which was very, very good. You may or may not remember the original series but I thought it did it justice.

They've added an extra dimension with a newspaper struggling in the face of online and an experienced journalist less that complimentary towards bloggers. Towards the end, the film makes the point that you cannot really do without what proper investigative journalists do – both the rigour and the checks and balances against government's authorities, business and whatever else.

I think they've got a point. Rampant gossip, hearsay and assertion all have their place, and I know a big proportion of print journalism is total bollocks, but the world would be a worse place without those people who insist on looking for and writing about the things others would rather they didn't.

I hope there's always a place for proper craft.