Alistair Bushe, Editor
Dear reader,
My last few monthly newsletters to you, I recall, were positive in tone as it appeared that Northern Ireland was enjoying a measure of success in repelling Covid-19.
We saw the number of new coronavirus cases drop dramatically during June and July for instance, and although numbers increased in August, there was little sign of what was unfortunately to come in September.
The move into autumn, as you will all know, has coincided with a steep rise in positive cases in Northern Ireland and indeed the number of people who have sadly died having had Covid-19 has been increasing across the Province in recent weeks.
We have seen restrictions being applied to parts of Northern Ireland which have seen a particularly high number of new cases, while a number of schools affected by outbreaks. The Executive is, as I write, considering what new measures should be introduced, but it is the view of this newspaper, as expressed here in Morning View, that a return to full lockdown would be the wrong step to take.
I am pleased that we have been able to increase our online offering to you, our loyal readers. I was delighted that Ruth Dudley Edwards, the respected writer and author, officially joined us as a columnist during September. Here is her first column as she recalled how my announcement on social media about her joining the News Letter was jumped on by social media trolls. Ruth also makes a timely call about the need for libel reform in Northern Ireland.
You might think that during a month when the news agenda was dominated by Covid-19 that a coronavirus-related story would have been our most read during September. You would be wrong! Instead it was this article, the story of a surfer being chased from the water off Co Donegal by a family of killer whales that topped our most read list, it was read by just shy of 100,000 people.
Tragedy also dominated the news agenda, in particular the heart-breaking story of world champion drum major Rachel Lowry dying in a car accident in Co Armagh.
I am proud to say that our own writers continue to ask searching questions through their journalism. In this piece, our political editor Sam McBride analyses Sinn Fein's approach to tackling Covid-19 on an all-island basis and how it is actually exposing the party.
Ben Lowry is one of the few writers in Northern Ireland who has been consistently prepared to challenge the wisdom of lockdowns to combat Covid-19, and he asked more searching questions in this brilliant column.
Many thanks once again for continuing to read The News Letter. These are very trying economic times for us all, and we want to make sure local journalism has a future. That's why we'd ask you to consider subscribing to The News Letter, to help ensure that the people of Northern Ireland have a strong and consistent voice for years to come.
Please continue to stay safe
Regards,
Alistair Bushe,
Editor
In case you missed it
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