The Margin was somewhat amused, not to say taken aback at the reaction to the appointment of Janet Street-Porter by Independent News & Media as editor of the Independent on Sunday. Street-Porter is a familiar figure to many Irish viewers, having fronted several, or been a guest on many British television music and fashion programmes over the years.

The editorship represents the first major print journalism post for the 52-year-old who is credited with pioneering youth programmes on British television. However, her appointment has not met with universal approval, to put it mildly.

The highly respected media analyst Roy Greenslade writing in the Guardian this week said the almost unanimous perception is that she isn't up to the job. "She has no newspaper track record as an executive. She lacks gravitas," he wrote.

The Independent on Sunday and its sister paper the Independent have lost millions of pounds and has serious readership problems. The sunday paper's current circulation is 170,000 readers, which as Greenslade pointed out compares to the Sunday Times 1.25 million readers.