Paper Monitor
10:15 UK time, Tuesday, 27 March 2007
A service highlighting the riches of the daily press.
So how do Her Majesty's Front Pages record the truly historic sights and sounds of yesterday? Does the astounding picture of Messrs Paisley and Adams sitting together make it to the front pages? Er... no not really.
Here's what's more important:
Daily Mail: "IT'S NOT ALWAYS RAPE IF A WOMAN IS DRUNK"
Daily Express: "ASPIRIN CUTS RISK OF DYING BY 25%"
Guardian: "Bullying: calls for national inquiry"
Sun: "Where's there a Wills there's a... WAHEY"
Mirror: "WANTED by Woolmer cops"
The Daily Telegraph has a story about David Cameron saying that parents need to regain control of their children, though it does use the Paisley/Adams picture. Only two papers give the story the full treatment - the Indy and the Times.
The Indy's idea is to mark the moment by showing famous landmark handshakes. Reagan/Gorbachev, Mandela/De Klerk, Rabin/Arafat, with Paisley and Adams just the latest in the line. Except, somewhat inconveniently, the two didn't actually shake hands for the camera.
For Paper Monitor's money, only the Times comes anywhere near giving the story justice.
"Old enemies agree to share the future" - above pictures of younger angrier Paisley and Adams both carrying coffins. "The words that nobody thought they would ever hear from the mouth of the Rev Ian Paisley came at 12 minutes past noon. 'We have agreed with Sinn Fein,' he said."
Nicely done.
But then... what does Paper Monitor know? Last October it got very excited about the Sun's headline How do you solve a problem like Korea (even though it turned out they'd nicked it from someone else). At last night's British Press Awards the headline was spurned as front page of the year, in favour of the Mirror's offering on Prezza (below left).
Further reason perhaps to shun award ceremonies of all types. (Until invited.)
UPDATE 1325. Distinguished blogger points out that the Sun's Northern Ireland edition has a different tone ()
The 
