Dossier 75 - John Ryan

1 audio tape, 1 cd, 1 file, 1 AIFF file (687.2 MB)

Interview with John Ryan, journalist, later executive editor, for the Guardian. Conducted by Donald Wintersgill on 12 June 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
00.22 Became sub-editor of the Guardian in 1963 at age 23
00.42 Became deputy chief sub-editor
00.46 Assistant to Alastair Hetherington
01.26 Became executive editor when Alastair Hetherington left
02.30 Left the Guardian in 1976
03.34 Returned to journalism in 1991 with Thompson Foundation, running workshops in underprivileged countries
04.02 Laurence Scott and the financial troubles of 1969
09.18 Describes terms of severance packages

11.35 Alastair Hetherington's passion to save the Guardian
12.54 Discusses Gerard Fay
13.40 Discusses Bernard Ingham
15.45 Journalist unions vs. printing unions
17.30 Describes the ethos of the paper
19.10 Finds that subeditors are mostly forgotten

23.32 Paper divided in two after the London move
24.41 Speaks about how the paper was printed
27.18 How travel between London and Manchester affected the paper

32.50 Discusses Alastair Hetherington's character
39.33 Discusses Geoffrey Taylor

40.29 Mentions Brian Jones, who replaced John Putz
41.46 How the characters of those involved with the Guardian aided it
46.19 Relationship between Alastair Hetherington and Harold Wilson
49.33 Alastair Hetherington's hobbies

52.35 Refers to Iain Macleod's death
55.14 Contrast between Alastair Hetherington and Peter Preston

Access to recordingvia GNM Digital Repository

Copyright: Guardian News & Media Ltd and John Ryan