Peter Preston
Peter Preston (born May 23, 1938 in Barrow upon Soar ; † January 6, 2018 ) was a British journalist . He was the editor-in-chief and publisher of the daily newspaper The Guardian and editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper The Observer .
Life
Preston was in 1938 in the county of Leicestershire born of greengrocer John Preston and his wife Kathlyn. When Preston was ten years old, the father developed polio and passed away. Preston also fell ill and had to spend several months in an iron lung . The recovery process took almost two years. Preston grew up in Quorn near Loughborough and attended Grammar School there . He then began studying English at St John's College , Oxford. At the same time he began to write for the Cherwell university newspaper and later became its editor.
In 1960 he went to the Liverpool Daily Post . In 1963 he switched to the daily newspaper The Guardian and wrote in the politics section. He also reported from abroad, including the war between India and Pakistan . In 1966 he started the column "The London Letter", for which he became known nationwide. In 1968 he was made head of the feature department that Preston was to renew.
Preston was appointed editor of the paper in June 1975 at a time when The Guardian was struggling. The circulation had fallen sharply, there were always production problems and labor disputes. Preston had to make the newspaper more expensive and fundamentally revised the design in 1988. He also reorganized the coat . With G2 he created a supplement with features on current topics. In the 1990s Preston was also editor-in-chief of the Guardian and became editor-in-chief there after acquiring the observer.
In February 1995, Preston resigned as publisher, editor in chief and chairman of the board of directors. In the following years he wrote about media and media policy, mainly for The Guardian and The Observer. At times he lived in Catalonia , where he also wrote the two novels 51st State (1998) and Bess (1999). In 2012 he was one of the co-founders of the European Press Prize .
Preston was married and has four children.
Awards
Preston has received honorary doctorates from the City, University of London , University of Leicester , Loughborough University , University of Essex, and University of Roehampton .
Works
- 51st State . Viking, London / New York 1998
- Bess . Penguin, London 1999
Web links
- David McKie: Peter Preston Obituary , The Guardian , Jan. 7, 2018
- Graham Ruddick: Peter Preston, former Guardian editor, dies aged 79 , The Guardian , January 7, 2018
Individual evidence
- ^ Peter Preston, founding father of the European Press Prize, dies aged 79 , European Press Prize, accessed January 12, 2018
- ^ Peter Preston , St John's College , accessed January 10, 2018
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Preston, Peter |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British journalist, editor-in-chief and publisher of the Guardian and novelist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 23, 1938 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Barrow upon Soar |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 6, 2018 |