Carlisle today became the epicentre of the UK's media debate as the influential Society of Editors staged its annual conference in the city.

The two-day event, at the Halston in Warwick Road, is hearing from key players in the national and regional media as they tackle issues such as digital news operations and relations with the police.

David Helliwell, group editorial director for News & Star publisher CN Group and editor of the News & Star, said he was delighted Carlisle is hosting the conference.

“It shows our city is back in business after the floods,” he said.

“It also shows that we're at the heart of the newspaper industry, always developing and moving with the times. We've got people here from every branch of the media industry, debating some of the really big issues that we are all facing."

Bob Satchwell, executive director of the Society of Editors, said the conference represents the industry's biggest annual gathering of editors and senior executives.

“It's a delight to be in Cumbria,” he said.

“This county's newspapers are regular winners in the Society of Editors Awards, and Regional Press Awards. They serve their community brilliantly, and last year, during the floods, and in previous years, they were a terrific example of that.”

He said Cumbria's newspapers also illustrate well how regional newspapers are evolving in the digital age.

Nick Turner, digital strategy manager for CN Group, is this year's president of the Society of Editors. He said the conference was a prestigious event and its presence in Carlisle would help promote the city.

He said: “One of the sessions we have had today looked at how we handled events after the flood in Carlisle and how we were at the forefront.

"Yet there has not been a huge amount of emergency planning that involved the media. That's not happening on a regular basis yet we play an important role.”

Nick added the event was also an opportunity to show Cumbrian firms how the local media's digital skills are a resource that can help promote their business, whatever it is.

Perhaps the delegate who had travelled furthest was Juanita Brock, who runs the online Falkland Islands News Network.

She made the gruelling 18-hour journey to Carlisle because she wants to ensure her service has the most up-to-date techniques.

A former US resident, who was born in Boston, Lincolnshire, she said: “I'm the only formally trained journalist on the island at present. There are other journalists there but they all more or less came up through the ranks.

“I've come back here every year for seven years running and I always use Carlisle as my base. I like the city. It has a good atmosphere and the people are friendly.”