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Interview with Alan Dunn, journalist for the Guardian. Conducted by Leslie Plommer on 02 April 1998. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1:
Track 1
00.30 Starting work and positions held at the Guardian
01.50 Working as foreign correspondent
03.30 Peter Preston and the Pakistan-India war cables

05.10 Israel war
06.00 Blaming the wrong side [Israel war]
06.05 Vietnam war, switch of policy half way through war
06.40 Personalities: John Perkin, Victor Zorza and Geoffrey Taylor
09.10 Foreign Editor, couldn't take it because he's scared of flying
09.50 Move to sport, 1968/9 Northern Sports Editor

10.30 Staff working in sport at the time
13.20 The way the sports team worked together and early days of floodlit football, not much late night sport
14.25 Changes in sport
14.25 Corresponding from Europe via telephone. Sharing lines between papers, no great rivalry
16.10 Pat Ward-Thomas, golf correspondent, 'foot in the bath' anecdote
17.00 Keeping to deadlines and writing during matches
18.20 Working conditions in Cross Street, Manchester

22.20 John Samuel and battle for funding for horse racing
22.20 Increased snooker, tennis and golf coverage
26:00 Cricket reporting going further abroad, more professional reporting
26.00 Mathew Engel covering cricket
27:40 John Samuel - skiing/skating coverage, developing opinion in sport
28:50 Covering football matches and racing

31.10 Politics of sport in general: South Africa, Mexico Olympics
35.50 How Irvine and David Frost could 'spend hours talking about nothing but an oval ball'
37.10 Reporting sports medicine, John Samuel
38.40 Football gossip and how reporters were at the game 'on behalf of the reader'

40:50 Reporters of the time
40.50 A gentlemanly style of writing, use of Dickens and Shakespeare
42.00 Football violence in the 1980s, writers getting mugged
44.20 Mersey period up to 1991
44.20 Description of team working at the time [c1982]
45.40 Labour Party post 1979
47.05 Politics in Liverpool in early 1980s
47.05 Discusses Derek Hatton, Tony Mulhearn [Labour]

50.00 Removal of tower blocks, building homes and borrowing money
52.40 Heseltine began to make his mark
54.30 Labour conference; teachers' dismissal notices sent by taxi
55.00 Unions views of the violence
57.00 1980s decline of militants, rise of Merseyside Development Corporation
58.00 Militant reaction to Guardian; 'the Guardian was trusted'
59.30 Discusses Derek Hatton

61.00 Visiting militant meetings
62.00 Discusses Tony Mulhearn
63.20 Labour councillors and the more traditional labour line

Interview with Alan Road, journalist for the Observer. Conducted by Rick Thomas on 12 September 2001. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1:
Track 1
00.00 Began in October 1959 - has been supplying material since
00.40 Inherited the job of Welsh stringer from John Morgan
01.40 Rate of pay was amazing to a local newspaper reporter
02.00 Observer staff jobs were never advertised and they hardly ever occurred
02.29 Ability to work with artists
03.00 On Aberfan disaster, Merthyr Tydfil
05.40 Varied career - front page, back page. Pendennis, real utility player
06.40 Interviewed by John Thompson for job on the staff
08.00 Pride of working for Observer - wouldn't have come to London for another job

10.00 Michael Foot getting Ebbw Vale seat, Blaenau Gwent
12.45 Advantage of writing longer stories since paid per word
12.45 Paid in guineas by Coote's cheques
14.00 First impressions of Fleet Street - kept his head down for quite a while
14.00 Fleet Street was like a 'club' and he felt very lucky to be in it
16.45 Young Observer - got it from the second week, did it for number of years
16.45 This was the only piece David Astor didn't get complaints about
16.45 Felt the Young Observer was probably read by more adults than children

20.40 Observer was a writers' paper. Happy memories of literate subs
22.10 Definite 'gentlemen and players' culture. Players had all worked on other papers; gentlemen had entered by mysterious methods. Could easily divide staff into these two camps

Interview with Alan Watkins, journalist for the Observer. Conducted by Jo Pugh on 23 November 2001.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1:
Track 1
00.25 Started work at the Observer in 1976, after previously working at the New Statesman and the Spectator
01.04 Discussions with Donald Trelford and John Cole before joining the Observer
02.00 Worked on the political column and political news sections
02.50 Began work in the Times building, St Andrews Hil, London
03.30 Effect of move from Tudor Street offices
04.00 The working week at the Observer
05.30 Introduction of 'intermedia techonology' in 1980s
06.10 Women working at the Observer. Remembers Katharine Whitehorn, Miriam Gross and other female colleagues
06.55 Friendly with Terry Kilmartin, the inventor of the broadsheet literary page
07.29 David Astor left the Observer before he arrived
08.20 Moved to Battersea offices in 1988
08.30 His involvement in the libel case with Michael Meacher MP

11.35
19.15 Discussion of staff including Trelford and Tony Howard
19.36
19.45 Had worked with Howard at the New Statesmen

20.12
21.01 Never became a newspaper editor
21.39 Discussion of newspaper trade unions
22.15 Discussion of Battersea offices
23.40 Changes at the Observer during this period
25.10 Poor quality of pubs in Battersea
25.55 Observer bought by the Guardian in 1993
25.59 Began work at the Independent on Sunday after 17 years service at the Observer
26.30 Leaving the Observer
27.20 Discussion of pay
27.35 Succession of Jonathan Fenby as editor of the Observer
28.20 Continues discussion of pay rises
29.00

30.20 Accepted role at the Independent
31.15 Leaving the Observer
37.20 *

41.05 Reputation of the Observer constrasted with the Guardian
41.30 Contrasting the Guardian and the Times
43.05 Love affair between Colin Welch and Kate Wharton, wife of Michael Wharton, who wrote for the Telegraph under the pseudonym Peter Simple
43.56 What he thinks of the Observer today
44.30 Relations between Andrew Rawnsley and Andrew Jaspen

Full transcript of an interview with Alistair Cooke, journalist for the Guardian. Conducted by Alan Rusbridger in early 1998. Transcribed 9 March 1998, 26 pages.

Cooke discusses his family, his early upbringing and his schooling. He explains how he started writing for the Guardian after suggesting that he write reviews of the Cambridge Festival Threatre for the newspaper, his time working for the BBC as a film critic and working for the Times. Cooke mentions his marriage to his wife, Jane, who was a war widow.

Cooke goes on to discuss his work for the Guardian as a Washington correspondent, remembering working with Max Freedman. He remembers covering the boxing match between Sugar Ray Robinson and Randolph Turpin, and the September 1951 Japanese Peace Treaty Conference. Rushbridger asks how much the Manchester Guardian mattered to American political life.

Interview with Andrew Sparrow, Guardian political correspondent. Conducted by Guardian Foundation assistant archivist Charlotte Im on 6 May 2021. Recorded remotely using Zencastr and Google Meet software.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

00:20 Introduction to his role writing the Guardian's daily politics live blog and political articles
01:30 The process of writing the politics live blog including covering UK political news as it happens
04:15 The separate teams covering international politics and occasions when he covers international political news
05:20 Discusses Covid-19 as the biggest issue over the past year including the development of the UK Covid live blog
07:26 Other issues he has covered over the past year including local elections, Scottish independence and Brexit
08:50 Discusses working as part of the House of Commons lobby
10:20 Working alone on the blog but posting contributions from colleagues on the live blog under their names
11:10 How he found it relatively easy to adjust to working from home during the coronavirus pandemic
15:00 Using pagers for communication earlier in his career and more recently WhatsApp
20:40 Discusses covering Brexit
25:25 Interacting with readers through blog comments and Twitter
28:50 Thoughts on what may change in his role in the next few years
32:00 Discusses covering the announcements of the national lockdowns as highlights of the past year

Duration: 34 minutes and 39 seconds.
Creator: Guardian News & Media Ltd (2006-)

Interview with Ann Shearer, journalist for the Guardian. Conducted by Sarah Boseley on 29 April 2002. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording and an interview summary with track timings.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1:
Track 1
00.30 Started at the Guardian in Cross Street, Manchester in 1964
01.50 Shorthand training with Vic Keegan, sub-editing, covering stories
03.10 Working as a news reporter and theatre critic
04.00 The Guardian in London and Manchester
05.00 Her culture clash with certain Mancunians
06.00 On being the only woman reporter
07.30 'Difficult' stories
08.50 Moved to London
09.30 Brian Redhead and Patrick Monkhouse

11.30 Writing light-hearted pieces and leading page articles
13.40 Being welfare correspondent
15.15 Dick Crossman
17.40 Long stay hospital story

26.00 Regular annual health stories
26.40 Left the Guardian to do more campaigning on mental health in the early 1970s
28.50 Freelancing
29.10 Returned to the Guardian in 1979 to write home leaders on the general election

31.15 Daily conferences
32.15 Senior staff members at that time
35.00 Scope for reporters to put opinion into stories
36.45 Society Tomorrow and Malcolm Dean
39.00 Left in 1988

Track 2
01.00 On the freedom of working for the Guardian
02.45 The political stance of the paper and various writers
03.50 Alastair Hetherington and his values
04.40 Redundancies at the Guardian during the 1960s

Interview with Anthony Howard, journalist for the Observer. Conducted by Jay Rayner on 1 October 2001. Also includes a data sheet containiing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1:
Track 1
00.30 Introductions
00.40 Ended his career as deputy editor of the Observer
01.00 His career in law and politics
01.45 His National Service
02.05 Offered job with Sunday newspaper
02.30 Decision to go into journalism
03.10 Due to his first job on the Manchester Guardian he was told to give up his Labour seat
03.50 Decision to leave politics
04.55 Howard's view of The Observer at the time of the Suez Crisis in 1956
06.35 Met David Astor before joining the Observer
07.10 Courted by owner of the Daily Express

Track 2
00.00 Impressions of the Observer - a family newspaper, like a medieval court
01.30 Remembers figures at the Observer
02.00 How David Astor's spirit dominated the paper
03.00 Discussion of Astor
03.50 Layout of the paper in 1965. Expansion of newspaper
05.30 Headhunted by the news editor, John Thompson, who he knew from Tide and Time
06.30 Vagueness of lines of command. Meeting the foreign editor Roberts Stephens

Track 3
00.00 Signed pieces on the Observer leader page
01.55 A lot happening whilst he was at the Observer, for example the Vietnam War
02.45 The Astor family - ' a great American family'
03.30 Meeting Teddy Kennedy with David Astor
04.30 The Observer 'a newspaper people knew'
06.30 Interviews with secretaries of state
07.25 Attended press conferences. Not allowed to question American president Lyndon B Johnson (LBJ)

Track 4
00.00 London response to the material he filed
02.20 Guardians weekly's good circulation in the States
07.00 Producing a film on LBJ with Associated Rediffusion
08.00 Survived under Astor's patronage
08.45 Asked about perks, salary, etc at the Observer

11.00 Ken Obank held whole paper together
13.00 Talks about there being an Observer expense account at a Washington bank

22.30 'The editor's [Astor] indecision is final'

31.50 Back on the Observer
32.20 How did he feel? He was replacing John Cole. Feels the paper was more efficiently run under Donald Trelford
38.50 Trelford reporting on the Matabeleland massacres

44.30 Michael Meacher 'middle class' libel action taken against the Observer

Disc 2:
Track 1
00.00 On the rumoured '500,000 club' - action if Observer circulation dipped below 500,0000
01.00 Threat of Saturday newspapers
02.00 Working with Donald Trelford
03.55 Considered to be 'the political heart of the newspaper'
04.50 Continued discussion of Trelford
05.18 Reflection on the Observer under Guardian ownership
06.20 Belief that the Observer is back to its strength following a bad period. The Guardian did not understand the Observer, not simply the Guardian on Sunday
06.50 Personality of the Observer reader
07.05 Anecdote about Randolph Churchill writing for the Observer
07.45 Change in editors at the Observer

Interview with Arthur Hopcraft, journalist for the Guardian. Conducted by Stephen Moss on 18 January 2002. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details and information on the recording.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1:
Track 1
00:40 Early career
02:00 Joining the Guardian in 1959 and editorship of [Alastair] Hetherington
02:40 Guardian moving to London from Manchester
04:50 Impact of dropping 'Manchester' from the title
06:30 Reasons for leaving the Guardian - didn't want to move to London
08:25 Memories of Roy Perrott, 'typical Manchester Guardian figure'
09:10 Perception of Guardian before he joined

10:20 Away from the Mirror, tabloid stories about sex changes. Starting to report about these types of stories
12:00 Guardian's approach to reporting news
12:40 Concerns about 'losing contact with their readership' - expanding news coverage of North West
13:50 Reporting on eccentric characters
15:30 Story about Russian ex-valet to the former GB ambassador in Moscow
16:50 Radical image of the Guardian
18:40 Memories of the editor
19:10 Contrast with the Mirror editor taking the northern staff out drinking

20:30 Nesta Roberts - only woman in the reporter's room
22:00 Process of taking foreign copy over the phone
22:30 Memories of Peter Preston (as a reporter)
23:00 Trip with Preston to Ghana 1962 - sent as observers to a dictatorial referendum
24:00 Not much foreign travel for international stories, mostly done over the phone
26:00 Ghana High Commission was unhappy with one of his stories, and had Preston arrested
29:30 Got a taste for foreign reporting

30:30 Standing in as night news editor
33:40 Nightly news conference - process of selecting the stories
35:00 Next foreign assignment was 1963: JFK visit to Ireland
36:45 1963 assignment for the freedom from hunger campaign
38:00 Working mainly as a feature writer
39:40 Working with Brian Redhead

40:30 Changing ideas about the paper's layout
41:00 Use of white space
42:00 Peter [Preston] - ambitious and extremely able
42:50 Sent to Brazil for an advertising supplement
44:00 The political situation was unstable and he found himself reporting on a coup
47:00 Sound cuts out
47:30 Re-starts
48:00 Reporters came rushing in from all over the place. All the US journalists were interviewing him
49:30 Wasn't briefed on how foreign journalists use cable

51:00 Phoned Hella Pick, dictated his stories and she would pass them on
51:30 Alistair Cooke at the Guardian
52:00 GB papers not really interested in South America
52:50 Wanting to be a correspondent - Interviewed for a job at the Buenos Aires Herald
55:40 Guardian's reporting from party conferences
57:10 Getting the pick of stories that came from Manchester
58:20 Hetherington stated that the Guardian was essentially about politics
59:20 Hetherington and politics/politicians
59:55 'Sense of diminution' at Manchester office because of London move

61:00 Peter Eckersley - good friend at Guardian who moved into TV
63:00 Concealed that he was a big football fan and theatre goer so as not to be pushed into that kind of reporting
64:10 Work for the Observer - mostly on football
64.20 Observer had very distinguished football reporters
66:00 Career after the Guardian, going abroad for a book on freedom from hunger (1968)
68:00 Working in TV drama

70:00 Started writing plays for the Stables Theatre, for Granada
70.10 Talks about his play-writing career (including Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

Interview with Audrey Gillan, Guardian Home News Chief Reporter. Conducted by Leslie Plommer on 23 May 2003. This is the first of a series of interviews with Guardian staff who covered the Iraq War of March-April 2003. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording, as well as Guardian newspaper articles published by Audrey Gillan covering the Iraq War.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1:
Track 1
00.15 Introductions
00.39 Meeting held by the Guardian in October 2002. Discussion on how to cover a possible war in Iraq. Roles allocated to correspondents
01.50 Told she would be going to Iraq if war broke out
02.10 Did not volunteer
02.45 Form of training. Hostile environment training run by former armed forces
03.10 Discusses hostile environment training. How to deal with kidnap situations
03.30 Intensive first aid training. Taught to clear landmines
03.48 Nuclear and biological warfare training
04.00 Ministry of Defence organised further training for press staff
04.30 Use of CS gas chamber to test drills
04.43 Training course with RAF. Taught importance of personal hygiene, how to construct tent, use of rationing food
04.58 Own fitness regime
05.20 Process of journalist selection
06.55 Appointed to join the Household Cavalry D squadron, a front line armoured unit within the 16 Air Assualt Brigade
07.10 Women war correspondents advised that the 16 Air Assualt Brigade did not want female correspondents
07.45 Upset over possibility that she would not be covering conflict due to gender
08.00 Decision over-ruled
08.45 Trepidation before leaving the UK
09.00 Scared by chemical warfare training
09.45 Encouraged to take Anthrax vaccination. Fear over side effects

10.38 Medical support from the Guardian
10.50 Decision over Anthrax vaccination
11.30 Attendents on training courses included newspaper, radio and television journalists from around the world. Training was compulsory
12.55 Many journalists fitness tested during training

Track 2
00.05 Soon after training they were called up
00.20 Preparing kit
01.10 On 48 hour standby to leave when called
01.15 Remembers the call-up to fly to Kuwait
01.45 Reunited with kit during a sandstorm
02.00 Over 120 journalists based at camp before leaving for individual brigades
02.45 Remembers speaking to Bruce Adams, Daily Mail photographer, who was also embedded with the unit
03.00 Attitude of the unit
03.30 Attitude to the Guardian
03.45 Accompanied by bodyguard and armed soliders for first days to prevent her accessing information
04.30 Complained to liason officers from Media Operations about treatment
05.25 Copy vetted before being sent
05.50 Daily routine at camp
06.10 Shock of troops that she was female. Warned that a journalist would be joining them
06.20 Acceptance by unit
06.50 Began working on human emotion stories. How the troops prepare for war
07.30 Use of Zulu time
08.00 The burning of personal letters by troops. Threat of imprisonment

10.00 Use of laptop. Copy read by media officer and squadron officer. Verbal negotiation over content

Track 3
00.04 Remembers first exercise
01.25 Taste of what life would be like covering the war
01.45 Experience of sleeping whilst in the field
02.10 The weather. Rain and flooding in Kuwait

Track 4
00.15 Reconnaissance role of the unit. Front line observation
01.12 Unit engaged in periods of intense activity
02.30 Journalist kit
03.30 Surveying the landscape. Use of technology such as thermal imaging equipment
03.55 Verifying targets
04.45 Remembers finding abandoned oil field barracks
05.45 Quiet start
06.30 Increase in activity
07.00 Remembers incident of vehicle bracketing
07.30 Use of armoured vehicles
08.00 Reassurance from troops
08.20 Remembers her vehicle breaking down whilst under fire
09.25 Memories of hearing over the radio the friendly fire incident on 28 March 2003 where USAF aircraft attacked a Household Cavalry convoy resulting in the death of Corporal Matty Hull

11.00 Speaking to the unit after the incident. Remembering the noise
12.00 Feelings of vulnerability following incident
12.28 Impact on the Guardian. Concerns over the saftey of staff. Asked to reconsider position
13.48 Remembers accident when a Scimitar light tank vehicle overturned in a ditch, killing two. Witnessed rescue attempt
15.10 Increase in incoming rounds of artillery
16.00 Loss of fellow soldiers
16.50 Expression of fears of others to her
17.20 Move into town. Lack of resistance. Feeling that war had changed
18.05 Relief that the war had slowed down
19.20 Response of locals to armed forces
19.55 Importance of not losing your guard in situations. The need to be careful

20.35 Filtering of news from Baghdad. Gillan heard news from Guardian news desk in London. Use of short wave radio
21.00 Communication difficult. Lower ranks not very well informed
22.10 Vehicle problems encountered
22.50 Censorship of reporting
24.10 Argument with a squadron leader over a report over the treatment of troops
25.40 Tensions in the relationship between the military and the media
26.00 Incident where she was reported. Sent wrong copy when writing a piece for both the Guardian and the Mirror
27.30 How she filed copy when in the field
28.30 Carrying equipment she did not use. Shock at living conditions
29.00 Becoming one of the lads, part of the team
29.50 Wore civilian clothes with body armour and helmet

31.00 Problems of clothes in the climate
31.38 Friendships with soldiers and other journalists
32.10 Attendance at soldiers' funerals
33.00 Speaking with soldiers' wives
34.17 Diaries kept during war coverage
35.12 Dreams since about time in war zone
36.10 Fond memories of relationships with soldiers
37.15 Class background of soldiers
37.50 Leaving the unit

40.00 Travelled via Kuwait. Unable to leave Kuwait for days due to problems with paperwork
42.25 Reflection on war coverage. Unique access to soldiers

Interview with Betty Jerman, journalist for the Guardian. Conducted by Sue George on 2 October 2001. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording and notes made after the interview.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1:
Track 1
Introduction

Track 2
Test

Track 3
Biographical information on Jerman by Leslie Plommer

Track 4
00.00 Joined Guardian from Foreign Office as secretary
03.00 Asked to write on women's concerns
03.00 Went to couture shows with established fashion journalists from Harpers & Queen and Vogue
04.48 Dismissed the bikini as passing fashion
07.12 Officially a secretary, not a journalist, paid as freelancer for journalist work
08.30 Highly intellectual atmosphere
09.40 Rennaissance of textiles

10.00 Truly exciting place to be, high calibre people
10.40 Writing for women's page, run by night editor in Manchester - no women's editor
14.00 Interviewed Norman Hartnell before the Queen's coronation
15.00 Leading up to the coronation
17.15 The Queen's coronation

22.00 Garden party in Birmingham
26.00 Discusses a couture party
28.50 Revival in household safety designs

30.20 Later specialised in children and parenting
30.33 No one to guide the woman's page until Mary Stott started, by which time Jerman was freelance
33.40 Guardian offices rather basic
34.40 In Manchester not interested in looking smart, more interested in the brain
35.50 Work was frivolous and focused on light-hearted topics
37.00 Social life of London office
39.50 Upstairs office was Baltimore Sun

41.00 Normal working day
42.00 Writing Richard Fry's piece a day when he was ill
43.30 Could have spent all time going to events
46.00 Jerman once had a hospitality perm/hair cut
47.50 Safety issues: campaign on safe toys, campaign on lead in paint

51.00 National housewives register borne out of intellectual 'wilderness of living in suburbia'
52.00 Mary Stott was astonishing, changed women's journalism
53.00 Space for children to play, early adventure playgrounds, national play scheme movement

Track 5
00.00 Interviewer thanks Jerman

Track 6
Test