Stephen Rae (editor)

Stephen Rae (born 1965/1966) is current editor-in-chief at Independent News & Media, Ireland's largest and most powerful media organisation.

Rae is former editor of the Garda Review (official magazine of the national police force), then editor of the Evening Herald, Rae was appointed editor of INM's flagship title, the Irish Independent, in late 2012 before being promoted to editor-in-chief of the organisation very soon afterwards, a new role created especially for him.[1][2][3][4]

While editor of the Irish Independent, Rae oversaw the ending of its publication as a broadsheet, allowing it to formally adopt a more tabloid approach.[4] As editor-in-chief at INM, he sacked journalist Gemma O'Doherty after she made an attempt to interview Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan.[5] This was ignored by the mainstream media in Ireland, as noted by media in Great Britain.[6] It later emerged that Rae himself was among those to have had penalty points annulled. This was in turn ignored by the Irish media and only reported either on social media or internationally.[7][8]

On the evening of Saturday 19 July 2014, Rae, in his role as group editor of INM, ordered the presses to be stopped to amend a column written by Sunday Independent editor Anne Harris which featured references to Denis O'Brien. Copies of the original article did however appear, allowing comparisons between the two. Harris originally wrote: "Denis O'Brien is the majority shareholder in INM. In theory, with 29% of the shares, he does not control it. In practice, he does." Rae had the last sentence deleted. Harris also wrote: "The question is whether he understands newspapers. In order to confront the truths in our society, we must have a free press. With the restrictive charter for journalists proposed last year, and some garrotive (sic) new structures, Denis O'Brien does not make this easy." This was changed to: "The question is whether he understands newspapers. In order to confront the truths in our society, we must have a free press. If the restrictive charter for journalists proposed last year, along with some other structural changes, are anything to go by, it might be instructive for him to listen to journalists, troublesome and all as they are."[9] Harris left the newspaper some months later, with The Irish Times noting her departing speech to staff as follows: "She is understood to have spoken only about journalists and journalism and not about newspapers and their owners, a subject matter she has previously addressed in several columns".[10]

From County Kerry, Rae attended the DIT School of Journalism and qualified as a barrister at King's Inns, Dublin.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Stephen Rae appointed editor of the Irish Independent". 2 December 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  2. ↑ "Evening Herald editor takes over helm at Irish Independent: Stephen Rae takes over as Gerry O'Regan retires after seven years in charge". The Journal.
  3. ↑ "INM appoints Stephen Rae as Editor in Chief of titles". 24 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The editor of the Irish Independent has been promoted – after nine months: Stephen Rae will be the Editor in Chief of the Irish Independent, Sunday Independent and the Herald". The Journal.
  5. ↑ Roy Greenslade (17 September 2013). "Controversy over firing of leading Irish investigative journalist". Greenslade Blog (Guardian News and Media Limited). Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  6. ↑ "The story ‘the Irish media don't want you to read’". Irish Post. 11 October 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  7. ↑ "Wiped penalty points linked to editor involved in Gemma O'Doherty redundancy". Irish Post. 28 September 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  8. ↑ Roy Greenslade (3 October 2013). "Ireland's media ignore Irish Independent editor's annulled penalty points". Greenslade Blog (Guardian News and Media Limited). Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  9. ↑ "Irish newspaper editor's column was changed after going to press". The Guardian (London: Guardian Media Group). 28 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  10. ↑ "Sunday Independent editor Anne Harris departs after final edition". The Irish Times. 21 December 2014.

External links


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