David English (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Sir David English was a British
journalist
and newspaper editor
, best known for his twenty-year editorship of the Daily Mail
.
, and educated at Bournemouth School
, where the sports centre is now named after him. Aged 16, he joined the local Christchurch Times and then had a brief period with the News at Portsmouth
, moving to London before he was 20.
, firstly as Features Editor and then Editor. In 1971 he took up the editorship of the Mail, a post which he held until 1992 when he became Chairman and Editor-in-chief of Associated Newspapers
. At a Daily Mail summer party at Hampton Court, Vere Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere
described English in a speech as the creator of the modern Daily Mail - much to the discomfort of English's successor, Paul Dacre
, who was sitting beside him. This fact was reported in The Times obituary of Sir David English. He was appointed a life peer in June 1998 but died before taking his seat in the House of Lords.
He was also a pioneer of the launderette as a profitable sideline.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and newspaper editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, best known for his twenty-year editorship of the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
.
Early life
English was born in OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, and educated at Bournemouth School
Bournemouth School
Bournemouth School , is a boys' grammar school and sixth-form college occupying a site in Charminster, Bournemouth, Dorset, England and teaching children from years 7 to 13...
, where the sports centre is now named after him. Aged 16, he joined the local Christchurch Times and then had a brief period with the News at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, moving to London before he was 20.
Career
English began his newspaper career in 1951 at the Daily Mirror before moving to the Daily SketchDaily Sketch
The Daily Sketch was a British national tabloid newspaper, founded in Manchester in 1909 by Sir Edward Hulton.It was bought in 1920 by Lord Rothermere's Daily Mirror Newspapers but in 1925 Rothermere offloaded it to William and Gomer Berry The Daily Sketch was a British national tabloid newspaper,...
, firstly as Features Editor and then Editor. In 1971 he took up the editorship of the Mail, a post which he held until 1992 when he became Chairman and Editor-in-chief of Associated Newspapers
Associated Newspapers
Associated Newspapers is a large national newspaper publisher in the UK, which is a subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust. The group was established in 1905 and is currently based at Northcliffe House in Kensington...
. At a Daily Mail summer party at Hampton Court, Vere Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere
Vere Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere
Vere Harold Esmond Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere became the 3rd Viscount Rothermere in 1978, having been widely known as Vere Harmsworth. He controlled large media interests in the United Kingdom and United States...
described English in a speech as the creator of the modern Daily Mail - much to the discomfort of English's successor, Paul Dacre
Paul Dacre
Paul Michael Dacre is a British journalist and current editor of the British newspaper the Daily Mail. He is also editor in chief of the Mail group titles, which also includes The Mail on Sunday. He is also a director of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc and was a member of the Press Complaints...
, who was sitting beside him. This fact was reported in The Times obituary of Sir David English. He was appointed a life peer in June 1998 but died before taking his seat in the House of Lords.
He was also a pioneer of the launderette as a profitable sideline.