Dossier 81 - Ann Shearer

1 minidisc, 1 cd, 1 file, 2 AIFF files (495.9 MB)

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

Access to recording via GNM Digital Repository

Copyright: Guardian News & Media Ltd and Ann Shearer