Society of Editors

Last updated

Society of Editors
FormationApril 1999;24 years ago (1999-04)
Merger ofGuild of Editors & Association of the British Editors
Executive Director
Dawn Alford
Website www.societyofeditors.org

The Society of Editors is an industry body for around 400 UK national and regional media editors, representatives and organisations.

Contents

History and organization

The Society has an elected president, chair and board of directors. It was formed by a merger of the Guild of Editors and the Association of the British Editors in April 1999. Its stated aim is "to influence debate on press and broadcasting freedom, ethics and the culture and business of news media." [1] Its founding executive director was Bob Satchwell, former long-standing editor of the Cambridge News and its current executive director is Dawn Alford.

The Society engages in lobbying, campaigning and facilitating professional development on behalf of the news media industry in the UK. [2]

Response to Oprah with Meghan and Harry

On 10 March 2021, Ian Murray, the executive editor of the group, was interviewed by Victoria Derbyshire on BBC News. Contradicting claims made by Prince Harry during Oprah with Meghan and Harry , Murray said that "the UK media is not bigoted and will not be swayed from its vital role holding the rich and powerful to account". [3] In response to this, several news organisations withdrew from the society's Press Awards, as did ITV presenter Charlene White, who had been due to host the event. More than 160 journalists also issued statements, disagreeing with Murray's claims. [4] Murray resigned the following day. [5] The Bureau of Investigative Journalism stated that the society's "statement denying bigotry and racism in the UK media shows a lack of awareness and understanding of deep-rooted and persistent problems that we see". [6] [7] [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex</span> British prince (born 1984)

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex,, is a member of the British royal family. As the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, Harry is fifth in the line of succession to the British throne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piers Morgan</span> British journalist and television host (born 1965)

Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan is an English broadcaster, journalist, writer, and television personality. He began his career in 1988 at the tabloid The Sun. In 1994, aged 29, he was appointed editor of the News of the World by Rupert Murdoch, which made him the youngest editor of a British national newspaper in more than half a century. From 1995, Morgan edited the Daily Mirror, but was fired in 2004. He was the editorial director of First News from 2006 to 2007. In 2014, Morgan became the first editor-at-large of the MailOnline website's US operation.

DMG Media is an intermediate holding company for Associated Newspapers, Northcliffe Media, Harmsworth Printing, Harmsworth Media and other subsidiaries of Daily Mail and General Trust. It is based at 9 Derry Street in Kensington, west London.

This article outlines, in chronological order, the various controversies surrounding or involving the BBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Davie</span> British television executive (born 1967)

Timothy Douglas Davie is a British media executive currently serving as the seventeenth Director-General of the BBC since 1 September 2020, taking over from Tony Hall. He was previously appointed as the acting director-general of the BBC on 10 November 2012 following the resignation of George Entwistle, until Hall took over the role permanently in April 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Susan Hussey</span> British noblewoman (born 1939)

Susan Katharine Hussey, Baroness Hussey of North Bradley,, known as Lady Susan Hussey, is a British noblewoman who served as a Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II and as a Lady of the Household from September to November 2022 under King Charles III. According to BBC News, Hussey "was a key and trusted figure in the British royal household for decades."

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) took its present form on 1 January 1927 when John Reith became its first Director-General. Reith stated that impartiality and objectivity were the essence of professionalism in its broadcasting. Allegations that the corporation lacks impartial and objective journalism are regularly made by observers on both the left and the right of the political spectrum. Another key area of criticism is the mandatory licence fee, as commercial competitors argue that means of financing to be unfair and to result in limiting their ability to compete with the BBC. Additionally, accusations of waste or over-staffing occasionally prompt comments from politicians and the other media.

The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, published in a tabloid format. It is the biggest-selling Sunday newspaper in the UK and was founded in 1982 by Lord Rothermere. Its sister paper, the Daily Mail, was first published in 1896.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meghan, Duchess of Sussex</span> Member of the British royal family and former actress (born 1981)

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex is an American member of the British royal family and former actress. She is married to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son of King Charles III.

<i>The Sun</i> (United Kingdom) British tabloid newspaper

The Sun is a British tabloid newspaper, published by the News Group Newspapers division of News UK, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Lachlan Murdoch's News Corp. It was founded as a broadsheet in 1964 as a successor to the Daily Herald, and became a tabloid in 1969 after it was purchased by its current owner. The Sun had the largest daily newspaper circulation in the United Kingdom, but was overtaken by freesheet rival Metro in March 2018.

Daniel John William Wootton is a New Zealand and British journalist and broadcaster.

Amol Rajan is an Indian-born British journalist, broadcaster and writer. Rajan is a former adviser to Lord (Evgeny) Lebedev, and was appointed the editor of his newspaper The Independent in 2013. When The Independent announced it was dropping the print edition in February 2016, and continuing as only an online operation, he was retained for a period as "editor-at-large". He was the media editor of BBC News from December 2016 to January 2023, and has been a presenter on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 since 2021. He replaced Jeremy Paxman as the host of University Challenge on 17 July 2023.

Eleanor Mills is a British journalist formerly associated with The Sunday Times and The Times. She was the editorial director of The Sunday Times and editor of its magazine until March 2020. Mills was employed by Times Newspapers for 22 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Murrell</span> Former Chief Executive Officer of the Scottish National Party

Peter Tierney Murrell is a former chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP). He is married to Nicola Sturgeon, the former leader of the SNP and First Minister of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megxit</span> 2020 withdrawal of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from royal duties

On 8 January 2020, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, announced on Instagram their decision to "step back as 'senior' members" of the British royal family, split their time between the United Kingdom and North America, and become financially independent. This was dubbed Megxit, a portmanteau of the words "Meghan" and "exit" and a play on the term Brexit, and adopted globally on mainstream and social media, spawning various Internet memes and "Megxit" merchandising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhammel Afflick</span> British writer and political activist

Rhammel Emmanuel Basil Afflick is a British writer and political activist. He is best known for his campaigning on race, knife crime and LGBT+ rights. He was Director of Communications for Pride in London from 2019 to 2021.

Oprah with Meghan and Harry is a 2021 television special hosted by American media personality Oprah Winfrey, that featured an interview between Winfrey, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. The special premiered March 7, 2021, on CBS in the United States, and in the United Kingdom the next day on ITV.

(Almost) straight outta Compton is part of a headline from a 2016 article written by Ruth Styles and published by the MailOnline, the website of the British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mail. The headline has been criticised and described as being an example of racist press commentary towards the American former actress Meghan Markle, prior to marrying the British Prince Harry.

Ngozi Fulani is a British former charity executive who served as chief executive officer of the registered charity Sistah Space.

<i>Harry & Meghan</i> 2022 documentary series on Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

Harry & Meghan is an American documentary series streaming on Netflix, starring Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. The series has six parts and covers the couple's relationship from their early courtship to their decision to step back as working members of the British royal family and their subsequent activities. It also includes interviews with family, friends, historians, and journalists.

References

  1. "About the Society". Society of Editors. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  2. Wylie, Catherine (27 May 2023). "Publishers and editors call on Conservative Party to scrap conference fees". Yahoo News. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  3. "Meghan racism row: Society of Editors boss Ian Murray resigns". BBC News. BBC News. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  4. "Society of Editors executive director Ian Murray resigns after defending UK press over Meghan row". Sky News. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  5. Wood, Vincent (11 March 2021). "Society of Editors chief resigns over body's response to Meghan racism claims". The Independent. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  6. Bland, Archie (11 March 2021). "National Press Awards to be postponed after Society of Editors race controversy". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  7. Snead, Florence (10 March 2021). "Society of Editors boss quits after criticising Harry and Meghan for challenging media racism". inews. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  8. Mahmood, Basit (11 March 2021). "Yes, the British Media Is Racist". Tribune . Retrieved 12 March 2021.