Fifty Years Behind the News
I joined the Cambridge Daily News, as it then was, in 1950 at the age of sixteen. My job was that of office boy. In the following fifty years I went from reporter to science correspondent, leader writer, theatre and music critic, news editor and finally features editor.
Throughout this period I also wrote the motoring pages and in my final ten years with the paper specialised in this alone.
So I think I can claim to know a little about the Cambridge paper and its development over the years. This talk came about as a result of repeated requests to talk about my experiences. I would emphasise that to get the most out of this talk you need to know something of Cambridge. But even without familiarity with its streets, for example, it still throws light on local newspaper production from the fifties to the present day.
But for those who know the city and who can remember its buildings and appearance over the past years this should prove an interesting talk, featuring as it does over 60 images taken over that time. I would consider it ideal for local history societies and any organisation which has a general interest in the past
Throughout this period I also wrote the motoring pages and in my final ten years with the paper specialised in this alone.
So I think I can claim to know a little about the Cambridge paper and its development over the years. This talk came about as a result of repeated requests to talk about my experiences. I would emphasise that to get the most out of this talk you need to know something of Cambridge. But even without familiarity with its streets, for example, it still throws light on local newspaper production from the fifties to the present day.
But for those who know the city and who can remember its buildings and appearance over the past years this should prove an interesting talk, featuring as it does over 60 images taken over that time. I would consider it ideal for local history societies and any organisation which has a general interest in the past