Alastair Stewart to leave ITV News.

Well, his bosses, who examined Stewart's Twitter feed and identified "multiple social media incidents," came to a different conclusion. Tweets can be deleted, and according to reporting on this story, several of them were.

But what? A greater understanding of how not to be a berk on social media? That is the only positive thing that can come out of this.

All we have is a distinguished journalist of many years standing humiliated because of a moment of madness (or several moments) on social media, and a chap who you or I don't know who's had horrendous abuse thrown at him; both of whom have suffered badly after having pointless "I know best" rows on social media. Both of these men are diminished by what has happened, no matter what happens next.

The only positive thing is if other people look and learn from this. Or if broadcasters and other media organisations reassessed their dysfunctional relationship with Twitter. Fat chance of that happening, sadly.

Are you joking?
He has been "tired and emotional" for years on there

The Announcement of Alastair Stewart's Departure by Mary Nightingale at the ITV Evening News on January 29.

Alastair’s departure leaves Tom Bradby as the only male ITV newsreader. Nina Hossain, Mary Nightingale, Julie Etchingham, Charlene White, Ranvir Singh, Kylie Pentelow and Lucrezia Molinari all present the main bulletins. I make that 1 male, 7 women women who regularly present (not including the more random stand in appearances from Chris Ship etc). Will ITV be looking for a new male newsreader I wonder?

A reflection perhaps on why Alastair perhaps isn’t the ‘right fit’ for where ITN want to go. There reputation on the gender pay gap was slated. Not to mention the fact that ITN don’t need Al, they’ve got Tom and Julie as their flagship duo - you only have to look at election coverage in the last decade to see ITN have not wanted him involved. Alastair might have signed a new contract for this year but I’ve heard he also was quite expensive, perhaps ITN had a change of thought and this Tweet, along with his conduct on the site before hand, was an easy way for them to part ways with Alastair even if it seems like a knee jerk reaction.

I think it’s fair to say that Alastair’s involvement with ITV News was going to end in the not too distance and this Tweet has just turbo charged the process forward.

If that was their (ITN’s) veiled intent, why not let the guy leave with dignity and have a proper farewell on a final News at Ten?

He’s been with them for the best part of 40 years. As a minimum, Alastair deserved to say farewell properly.

Anyway........

No he’s not joking - I have also followed him for years and while he has often been in heated discussion with others I’ve never seen him be any less than professional myself. I am not excusing him for whatever it is he may have been sacked for (which we still don’t officially know) but I really must dispute this idea of him being ‘tired and emotional for years’.

“Newsreading legend stands down after Twitter comments” makes for far better reading for ITN than “Broadcaster to ditch newsreading legend after four decades”

I too have followed and had conversations with Alastair for a very long time on Twitter. I have seen no evidence of him being tired and emotional.

I have seen debates but I will say again; he always maintained the fact like others that all views were his own.

But it’s not good enough just to say your views are your own. If Robert Peston tweeted he was voting Labour under the caveat “views are my own”, would that be okay?

ITN has strict guidelines about social media use and they were breached by Alastair on multiple occasions. Better to act sooner rather than wait for it to really get out of hand and be criticised for doing nothing.

Nope, Rageh Omaar is a deputy newscaster of NAT and presents other bulletins.

Am sure once the BBC complete their cull, there'll be plenty of talent available to move to ITV News.