A thought about newspaper editors

On this first true working day of 2008 is this the first year anyone can remember in which all the best newspaper editors in Britain are…not editing newspapers?

Obviously this is not completely and utterly true. Firstly some brilliant young editors have recently been appointed. Secondly as long as Paul Dacre, Peter Wright, Alan Rusbridger and others are in their swivel chairs then one can hardly say that all the best editors in Britain are not editing newspapers.

But it is worth considering who isn’t. Dominic Lawson, Roger Alton, Charles Moore, Kelvin McKenzie, Andrew Neil, Richard Lambert (the list could go on but one person I would definitely leave off is myself).

Two possible reasons: a) it really is a job for 40 year olds and all the gentlemen above are over 50 (but then so are Dacre, Wright and Rusbridger) or b) editing a newspaper isn’t as satisfying a job as it used to be - financially or intellectually.

Discuss.

1 comment January 7th, 2008