Nineteen-year-old Ellen Doherty from Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland was never going to choose a safe career path. Not for her was the security of a nine-to-five lifestyle. Rather, she has chosen the adrenalin rush of journalism.

Press ownership was one of several issues dissected at a recent "Media and Public Confidence" conference, hosted by the Financial Times in London. The event was an unprecedented gathering of senior British newspaper editors and assorted journalists from around the world and from across the political spectrum.

Pope John Paul II has spoken out strongly about the special responsibility of the media.