The role of the media during The Troubles and peace process was one formed one of the events of the Agreement 25 conference.

Former editor of The Impartial Reporter, Denzil McDaniel was one of the panelists that took part in the discussion at Queen's University Belfast as part of the Agreement 25 conference.

Denzil was speaking as part of the Media in Conflict and Peace session. He was joined on his panel by Deric Henderson, former PA Ireland editor; Susan McKay, Press Ombudsman for Ireland and Noreen Erskine, ex BBC journalist.

Detailing his contribution to the discussion, Denzil said: "I spoke a bit on local papers and how close they were to the community and how at the time there was a lot of division and I gave a bit of context about Fermanagh in The Troubles from the seventies regarding a lot of killings; the 1981 election of Bobby Sands, the shooting dead of Séamus McElwaine [IRA member] in 1986, the Enniskillen bomb in 1987 and then right through to the early nineties and the ceasefires.

"In that context, that there was a lot of division in the community, it was our policy that everybody's voice should be heard and that meant not just the divisions within the two communities but also the division within communities. I spoke about the divisions within Unionism and Republicanism."

Speaking about the Impartial Reporter's role in the context of the Agreement referendum, Denzil said: "It was very important that the Impartial gave space to everybody, while the paper itself had an editorial line and policy [set by the managing board which included the late Joan Trimble and Joanna McVey] was in support of the agreement, it was important that the local paper had a role in giving everybody a voice."