Kennedy Jones (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Kennedy Jones (4 May 1865 - 20 October 1921) was a British journalist
, editor
, and newspaper manager.
and Birmingham
before moving to London in search of employment there. Though his contribution to starting a new newspaper, The Evening, in 1892 proved futile, he remained convinced that a halfpenny morning daily would be economically viable.
as chief sub-editor, in 1894 he took a gamble along with The Suns assistant editor, Louis Tracy
and acquired an option to purchase the Evening News. Though enjoying a circulation of 100,000, the newspaper was running at a loss, and Jones and Tracy both hoped to sell the paper quickly to Alfred Harmsworth
, who was looking to purchase his first London daily. In August the three signed an agreement in which Jones and Tracey each received 7½ percent of the profits generated by the newspaper. Jones soon took over as editor, remaking the paper with new typography and a greater emphasis on sports coverage, competitions, serialized fiction, and attention-grabbing feature articles, at which Jones excelled. This was a new style of journalism which proved enormously profitable.
Jones's gruff, abrasive manner soon helped established him as Harmsworth's business manager, and Harmsworth gave him considerable freedom in making decisions. In 1895 Jones acquired the Glasgow Daily Record
, as part of a plan to acquire a chain of provincial dailies. This plan was abandoned the following year with the launch of the Daily Mail
, which embodied Jones' vision of an halfpenny paper marketed to the middle class and produced in London for a nationwide market. Though not the editor, Jones was in charge of the style and content, and his instinct for what his readers wanted helped make the Daily Mail a runaway success, growing from an initial planned run of 100,000 to over 500,000 copies in circulation within three years of its launch.
Though he seemed to enjoy his hard-nosed reputation as Harmsworth's business manager, Jones was capable of acting with more subtlety, as he did in 1908 when he served as an intermediary for Harmsworth's ultimately successful negotiations to purchase The Times
. Though Jones introduced many of his innovations, he was not elected to the paper's board of directors and was denied the editorial influence he expected. After an intestinal operation in 1912, Jones sold his shares in the newspapers at a handsome profit, retaining a chairmanship of Waring & Gillow until 1914.
for Wimbledon
, enjoying a protest vote against the prevailing wartime party truce but ultimately losing the seat to Stuart Coats
. A few months later, he ran unopposed as a Unionist
in a by-election for Hornsey
. He worked for the Ministry of Food in 1917 and demonstrated an interest in London's transport issues. He died of pneumonia
in October 1921. He founded The East Finchley Constitutional Club which is still open.
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...
, 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...
, and newspaper manager.
Early years
Born in Glasgow, "K.J." (as he was known to his friends) was educated at a local high school before leaving at the age of sixteen to start a career in journalism. He worked as a reporter and sub-editor for local newspapers, including The News and the Evening News. Moving south in the late 1880s, he worked for papers in LeicesterLeicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
before moving to London in search of employment there. Though his contribution to starting a new newspaper, The Evening, in 1892 proved futile, he remained convinced that a halfpenny morning daily would be economically viable.
Work with Northcliffe
After working for a time for The SunThe Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
as chief sub-editor, in 1894 he took a gamble along with The Suns assistant editor, Louis Tracy
Louis Tracy
Louis Tracy was a British journalist, and prolific writer of fiction. He used the pseudonyms Gordon Holmes and Robert Fraser, which were at times shared with M. P. Shiel, a collaborator from the start of the twentieth century....
and acquired an option to purchase the Evening News. Though enjoying a circulation of 100,000, the newspaper was running at a loss, and Jones and Tracy both hoped to sell the paper quickly to Alfred Harmsworth
Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe
Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe rose from childhood poverty to become a powerful British newspaper and publishing magnate, famed for buying stolid, unprofitable newspapers and transforming them to make them lively and entertaining for the mass market.His company...
, who was looking to purchase his first London daily. In August the three signed an agreement in which Jones and Tracey each received 7½ percent of the profits generated by the newspaper. Jones soon took over as editor, remaking the paper with new typography and a greater emphasis on sports coverage, competitions, serialized fiction, and attention-grabbing feature articles, at which Jones excelled. This was a new style of journalism which proved enormously profitable.
Jones's gruff, abrasive manner soon helped established him as Harmsworth's business manager, and Harmsworth gave him considerable freedom in making decisions. In 1895 Jones acquired the Glasgow Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
, as part of a plan to acquire a chain of provincial dailies. This plan was abandoned the following year with the launch 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...
, which embodied Jones' vision of an halfpenny paper marketed to the middle class and produced in London for a nationwide market. Though not the editor, Jones was in charge of the style and content, and his instinct for what his readers wanted helped make the Daily Mail a runaway success, growing from an initial planned run of 100,000 to over 500,000 copies in circulation within three years of its launch.
Though he seemed to enjoy his hard-nosed reputation as Harmsworth's business manager, Jones was capable of acting with more subtlety, as he did in 1908 when he served as an intermediary for Harmsworth's ultimately successful negotiations to purchase The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
. Though Jones introduced many of his innovations, he was not elected to the paper's board of directors and was denied the editorial influence he expected. After an intestinal operation in 1912, Jones sold his shares in the newspapers at a handsome profit, retaining a chairmanship of Waring & Gillow until 1914.
Later years
Having retired from business, Jones turned to politics. He ran as an independent in a 1916 by-electionBy-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for Wimbledon
Wimbledon (UK Parliament constituency)
Wimbledon is one of two parliamentary constituencies in the London Borough of Merton in south-west London. It elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first-past-the-post voting system....
, enjoying a protest vote against the prevailing wartime party truce but ultimately losing the seat to Stuart Coats
Stuart Coats
Sir Stuart Auchincloss Coats, 2nd Baronet was a British politician and Member of Parliament for Wimbledon from 1916 to 1918 and then East Surrey from 1918 to 1922....
. A few months later, he ran unopposed as a Unionist
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
in a by-election for Hornsey
Hornsey (UK Parliament constituency)
Hornsey was a parliamentary constituency covering what is now the Hornsey district of North London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from the 1885 general election until it was abolished for the 1983 general election...
. He worked for the Ministry of Food in 1917 and demonstrated an interest in London's transport issues. He died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in October 1921. He founded The East Finchley Constitutional Club which is still open.