Cathy Newman

Cathy Newman in 2012

Cathy Newman (born 14 July 1974)^[1] is an English journalist and presenter of Channel 4 News.

Early life

Born in Guildford, Surrey, Newman is a daughter of two chemistry teachers, and was on the path to a career as a violinist or the legal profession before changing her plans as a result of seeing BBC journalist Kate Adie on television.^[2] Newman graduated with a first^[1] from University of Oxford, where she had read English at Lady Margaret Hall.^[3]

Career in journalism

After university, Newman briefly worked for Media Week and The Independent (as business correspondent)^[4] before joining the Financial Times at the age of 23. Her older colleague Alice Rawsthorn acted as a mentor at the FT,^[5] where Newman worked as a media and then (for three years) political correspondent. In 2000, Newman gained a Laurence Stern fellowship to work at The Washington Post for four months.^[4] During her period in the US, she followed the 2000 Presidential campaign of Green Party candidate Ralph Nader.^[2]

She joined Channel 4 News as a political correspondent (and deputy to political editor Gary Gibbon) in January 2006^[6] in which role she managed in 2009 to challenge Peter Mandelson at the Labour Party conference, held in Brighton that year, over his claimed use of the 'c' word in a conversation with Rebekah Brooks, then CEO of News International.^[7]

Newman became the first female co-presenter of the programme in 2011.^[8] She has also headed the team behind the FactCheck blog which has resulted in several scoops for the programme.^[6] From February 2013, she gained attention for her pursuit of a story about the allegations of improper conduct levelled at Lord Rennard, once a leading figure in the Liberal Democrats, including her participation in an LBC local London radio phone-in on 27 February to quiz deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg on the issue.^[9][10] Newman has commented that sexism was endemic at Westminster during her period as a lobby correspondent there, but has also said that the newspaper industry is even worse.^[11]

Newman blogs on women in politics for The Daily Telegraph^[12] and Economia magazine.^[13] She was long-listed for the Orwell Prize (Journalism) in 2010^[14] and again in 2011 for the blog prize.^[15]

Mosque "ushering" apology

On February 1, 2015 Newman tweeted that she was "ushered onto the street" when she went to South London Islamic Centre (SLIC) for a 'Visit My Mosque' programme in error.^[16] Later, The Huffington Post obtained CCTV footage which contradicted her account. Newman has since apologised.^[17]

In a letter to the South London Islamic Centre which was released to the media, the editor of Channel 4 News, Ben de Pear, expressed his "disappointment" in Newman and the "poorly chosen" language she had used in her tweets. Newman also formally apologised in her own letter.^[18]

Personal life

In 2001 Newman married writer John O'Connell, whom she met at university. The couple have two children.^[8]

References

External links

• Cathy Newman at the Internet Movie Database