Irish News editor Noel Doran voted 'best regional editor of the 21st century' in online poll

IRISH News editor Noel Doran has been named best regional editor of the 21st century in an online poll.

Mr Doran, who has held the post since 1999, was voted for by readers of the HoldTheFrontPage media industry website.

He took 25 per cent of the overall vote, ahead of Bristol Post boss Mike Norton on 21 per cent and former Ipswich Star and Eastern Daily Press chief Nigel Pickover on 20 per cent.

More than 3,500 Hold The Front Page readers took part in the poll which was held to mark the 20th anniversary of HoldtheFrontPage first going live in February 2000.

The Belfast-based editor was the only one in the running who had been in the same role for the past two decades.

Since taking up the post, The Irish News has twice been named Regional Press Awards Newspaper of the Year, in both 2011 and 2012,

The paper has also regularly topped the ABC circulation charts for UK regional dailies, posting smaller circulation decreases than British titles.

He has also been credited with winning a wider, cross-community readership for the paper.

Paul Linford, HoldtheFrontPage publisher, said: "Congratulations to Noel on a well-deserved win which entirely reflects the high esteem in which he is held within the industry.

“It was interesting to see Noel and Mike Norton topping the poll, as both of them are editors who have made strenuous efforts to build bridges across their respective communities," he said.

Speaking about the win, Mr Doran said: "The poll was a fairly light-hearted exercise which allowed readers of the HoldTheFrontPage website to mark its 20th anniversary, but what it does demonstrate is that all the journalists of The Irish News, covering every section of the paper, have consistently produced outstanding work for the last two decades and beyond."