Documento 84 - Margaret Smith

1 minidisc, 1 cd, 1 file, 7 AIFF files (467.5 MB)

Interview with Margaret Smith, secretary for the Guardian. Conducted by Angelique Chrisafis on 30 October 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
Test

Track 2
00.00 Introduction
00.10 Joined the Guardian in June 1951 as Junior Secretary
00.25 Interview with John Anderson
01.10 Meeting with Editor AP Wadsworth before being appointed
02.25 Editor's room which had been previously occupied by CP Scott
03.25 Working for Patrick Monkhouse, discussion about role of Assistant Editors
04.00 Corridor in Cross Street
04.40 Discussion about Reporter's Room
05.00 Atmosphere at Cross Street
05.30 Male dominated environment
06.10 Equipment used by reporters
07.30 Guardian tradition - strong memory of CP Scott
08.05 Neville Cardus' view that the Reporter's Room was an 'academy'
08.25 View that the Guardian was special unlike other newspapers
08.50 Age of those employed at the Guardian
09.25 Working for AP Wadsworth
09.50 Taking dictation from John Anderson

10.50 Working for Patrick Monkhouse
11.20 Duties of Leader Writers incl. John Anderson and Patrick Monkhouse
12.20 Leaders written by John Anderson
12.50 Coverage of northern issues in the paper and conflict with London
14.05 Family atmosphere in Editorial department
14.20 Demolition of Cross Street
15.05 Legacy of CP Scott and how future editors responded to this
15.50 Demoralisation of Manchester staff
16.20 Reaction to proposed move to London
17.40 Move from Cross Street to Deansgate
18.10 Description of Cross Street
19.00 Working hours
19.55 Editorship of Alastair Hetherington

21.20 Transition difficult for Patrick Monkhouse
23.30 Atmosphere during Suez Crisis
24.00 Excitement during election nights

Track 3
00.10 Role of Mary Crozier
01.30 Correspondence page - reaction from readers

Track 4
00.00 Complaints from readers and dealing with correspondence
03.25 Corresponding with reporters based abroad and receiving articles from them
05.10 Paper rationing and size of paper
06.30 Anonymity of reporting - no by-lines used

Track 5
00.00 Fall in advertising revenue and increasing costs
01.00 Proposed amalgamation with The Times
01.25 Staff unaware of the exact financial difficulties faced by the paper
02.15 Conferences

Track 6
00.00 Role of Mary Stott, Women's Page Editor
00.35 Publication of recipes by Ambrose Heath
02.45 Mary Stott as a personality in Cross Street

Track 7
00.00 Pride in working for The Guardian which had a special place in Manchester

Access to recording via GNM Digital Repository

Copyright: Guardian News & Media Ltd and Margaret Smith