The festive spirit clearly affected Richard Symonds.

You may remember from my column two weeks ago that he complained about our use of a picture of New York Mayor Rudolph Guiliani comforting an injured victim of a suspected Palestinian suicide bomber.

He bet me 20 dollars that the photograph also appeared in every other Gannett newspaper under instruction from our American owners.

I responded that I could prove this was not only nonsense but that all Gannett editors were free to edit as they saw fit. Give us the cash, I added, for The Argus Appeal.

Now Mr Symonds is clearly a man of his words for he has sent me the money (four five dollar bills) and an apology for which I am very grateful.

He explains that what he was trying to say was that editors do know what their owners' "take" on news is, and that that "take" is more easily accessible than another angle with material that can easily be downloaded (from America, I presume).

He gives as an example some of Rupert Murdoch's papers.

He continues: "Nobody has total freedom in what they can publish - there are always constraints, including in-built censorship.

"I believe we all need to be ever-watchful of powerful forces which threaten our ability to think clearly for ourselves and the unending quest for the truth behind the news.

"I think your newspaper team does a very good job at cutting through the c.... (and there's a lot of it about). If I didn't think that, I wouldn't waste my time writing like this at 2.15am in a freezing cold kitchen!"

To that I can only say thank you and that while we are sometimes constrained in our reporting - most often by restrictive laws - we always strive to remain totally independent.

Yes, we do have access to US Gannett titles' material but we have not used it even once and are under no pressure to do so.

If, however, a new face appears at the top of this column next week you will know that I have been got at. I bet 20 dollars I'll still be here.

Delia Raye, of Hove, exclaims: "So this is the level The Argus has now stooped to?" in reference to our Woman feature on Monday of last week about women who had poached their husbands.

"It is bad enough national tabloids and stars' affairs but glorifying locals and their extra-marital affairs is base and pathetic," she continues. "I have been married twice myself but this sort of article in a newspaper is very poor indeed." Succinctly put, Delia.

In the Business section of some editions of Tuesday's paper last week a headline referred to "the big Yuletide spurge" instead of "splurge", meaning to spending a lot of money.

Spurge, incidentally, is a plant with milky, acrid juice. Don't say you never learn anything reading this paper.

On p5 of Thursday's paper last week we correctly reported MP David Lepper's surgery for constituents at the Brighthelm Church and Community Centre in North Road, Brighton, on Friday January 4 was cancelled due to the festive holiday.

However, on p11 we said it would take place as usual. We were right first time.

We inadvertantly promoted Brighton and Hove Liberal Democrat group leader Paul Elgood to MP in a headline on a story about phone masts on Wednesday last week.

The error was spotted by Adur Labour group leader Daniel Yates who says: "I know he (if no one else) thought by now he would be an MP but surely I didn't miss a parliamentary by-election did I?

"In fact, Councillor Elgood took the Lib Dems to a new low point of third in Shoreham and East Worthing in this year's General Election."

Councillor Yates signs himself "also not an MP (but closer than Paul)." Ouch!