The Word On The Street: Telegraphs union plea, The Guardian offends Mr Keating, The Sport's Tony Livesey demands new ideas from department heads

All staff at the Daily and Sunday Telegraphs were summoned to a meeting to be addressed by the managing director, Jeremy Deedes. Was it to brief them on the papers' financial situation? Was it, wondered some of the more optimistic staff, to tell them they were getting a pay rise? No. Mr Deedes wanted to urge them, please, please, not to join the National Union of Journalists.

Well, we all know how easily it happens. An over-enthusiastic sub adds a phrase; or perhaps you just delegate the item to someone on work experience. So most people will forgive The Guardian for describing the BBC 4 controller Roly Keating as "the former Boyzone frontman". Ronan Keating will be generous about it. But Roly may never speak to the paper again.

The only outright winner from the Channel 5 trip to Kempton Park races was Kim Peat, its head of daytime, arts and religion. Her success was simple: she bet each way on Bible Box in due deference to her job description, and Esteemed Master in honour of Dawn Airey, the channel's chief executive.

The interview with Tony Livesey, editor- in-chief of Sport Newspapers, in the new edition of the industry magazine X-trax contains some memorable answers. He recalled that when the newsdesk didn't come up with enough ideas, he locked the news editor in the lift for an hour until he came up with 30 ideas. Livesey admits that one of his own ideas was considered too extreme, even by The Sport's publishers. He had a picture of a beheading in Saudi Arabia. After the decapitation, the head was spinning through the air. Livesey wanted to airbrush out the head and have a "Spot the Head" competition.