As we move into a new era of digital journalism, meet the Northern Star team
Meet your team of local journalists living and working here from the beautiful Northern Rivers to Tweed Heads.
Lismore
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lismore. Followed categories will be added to My News.
As we move to our new home on The Daily Telegraph website, I want to take the opportunity to reintroduce our team of dedicated and passionate journalists living and working right here on the Northern Rivers.
My name is David Kirkpatrick and I am the editor of The Northern Star.
We have a team of nine journalists working across four titles: The Northern Star, Tweed Daily News, Ballina Shire Advocate and Byron Shire News.
I joined the Star about 14 years ago as a sub editor and then sports editor before rising to become the editor.
With more than 34 years spent working as a journalist, media and public relations specialist across Melbourne, Canberra and regional NSW, I bring a wealth experience to this role.
I have reported on a wide range of issues in that time and particularly proud of the campaigning the Star has done on the Lismore base hospital upgrade, duplication of Pacific Highway, Alstonville Bypass, Future Northern Rivers, Casino to Murwilumbah rail trail and efforts to save the Lions Fountain in Lismore and Big Prawn in Ballina.
To keep active I like walking and swimming and enjoy cooking and camping holidays.
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Liana Boss is a journalist at the Northern Star and Byron Shire News.
She began her career in regional journalism with the Tweed Daily News in 2013 and has also worked for the Stanthorpe Border Post.
Liana covers court, council and a broad range of general news.
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Rebecca Lollback has worked at the Northern Star for more than 12 years, covering council, court, development, real estate and politics.
She has a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) and worked at newspapers in Brisbane and Alice Springs before heading home to the Northern Rivers.
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Aisling Brennan is a reporter with a focus on covering court, crime and politics.
She has a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Business from Griffith University.
When there isn't a pandemic, she enjoys travelling overseas and exploring new places.
These days she's spending more time reading a variety of novels and visiting interesting places on the Northern Rivers.
Tessa Flemming has worked as a News Corp journalist for the past two years.
She graduated from Queensland University of Technology in 2018 and soon started writing for Warwick Daily News before moving to the Northern Star in 2021.
Over her years, she has covered events that matter to regional communities including bushfires, local/state elections and courts.
She covers a wide range of topics including breaking news, crime, council and more.
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Javier Encalada is a news reporter at the Northern Star. Based in Byron Bay, he also covers Ballina, Lismore, Tweed and Richmond Valley Council news.
He was previously The Northern Star's entertainment reporter.
Prior to this, he was a national news reporter for South American media.
Cathy Adams has worked at the Northern Star since 2002 and lived in the region most of her life.
She has a Bachelor in Visual Arts from Queensland University of Technology and long and distinguished career as a photographer, reporter and digital producer at the Star.
In her spare time, Cath likes cooking cakes, coffee, good books and studying the Lotto numbers.
Alison Paterson is an award-winning journalist and photographer.
She is passionate about sport, particularly AFL, cycling and surfing and aims to take her annual leave in July so she can ride her bike trainer while watching the Tour de France live.
Renowned for reporting with compassion and integrity, Alison possesses considerable experience reporting on natural disasters from floods to bushfires and also covers police and emergency rounds at The Northern Star.
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Liana Walker is a news reporter who focuses on court, crime and council. She has a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Business (Public Relations major) from the Queensland University of Technology.
She began her work as a cadet journalist in Stanthorpe in 2018 before moving to Gladstone in 2019 covering general news and courts.
She joined the Tweed Daily News in March 2021.
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PART OF A POWERFUL TEAM
But just as committed as we are, so too are our colleagues across New South Wales who deliver the latest breaking news to keep you in the know.
And the best part is your local news subscription gets you access to the best reporting on local, state, national and international affairs.
Yes, your digital subscription to The Northern Star gives you unlimited access to all our online content and stories as well as premium access to The Daily Telegraph.
Here is the best way to maximise the benefits of your local news subscription.
To activate your complimentary access to The Daily Telegraph follow the steps below:
Click here, then follow these prompts:
- Go to My Profile and log in
- Go to My Rewards
- Click the activate now button or copy activation hyperlink
Sign up on The Daily Telegraph website - we recommend you use the same email address and password as you've used for our website to avoid confusion.
Activating your complimentary Daily Telegraph subscription also gives you access to Brisbane's Courier Mail, Melbourne's Herald Sun, the NT News, The Mercury in Hobart and the Adelaide Advertiser whenever you like.
You can also access all of our regional titles - see a list of them here.
This same login for The Daily Telegraph will also work on other News sites listed above.
GREAT REWARDS ON OFFER
By activating your Daily Telegraph subscription, you also have access to News' tremendous Rewards program.
It includes exclusive offers, tickets, eBooks and unique experiences. The offers are updated regularly and are worth hundreds of dollars each year, so make sure you make the most of them.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH APP
Once you've activated your Daily Telegraph subscription, make sure to also download The Daily Telegraph app - click here for Apple or here for Android.
Once you've downloaded and logged in you can access the digital print edition of The Daily Telegraph, personalise your news feed and follow your favourite sections, topics and columnists.
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