Dossier 40 - Betty Jerman

1 minidisc, 1 cd, 1 file, 6 AIFF files (606.3 MB)

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

Access to recording via GNM Digital Repository

Copyright: Guardian News & Media Ltd and Betty Jerman