Peter Preston, giant of Fleet Street, dies at 79
THE death of Peter Preston, former editor of The Guardian, deprives British journalism of one of its most inspiring figures of the 20th century.
Though he was softly spoken and unassuming, his journalistic achievements were immense. He saved the liberal paper from near extinction, and guided it towards financial stability.
As an editor, Preston was a quiet revolutionary. It was on his watch that the daily G2 features supplement was launched – an idea widely followed in other papers. Though The Guardian was a broadsheet, he always strove to make it stylish, witty and accessible.
In a ferocious commercial environment, he turned what was originally a regional publication into a newspaper respected around the world, in the teeth of a Fleet Street price war and union militancy. That was truly his greatest legacy. As someone who worked alongside Preston for almost a quarter of a century, including his two decades as editor, I grew to be deeply impressed by his prodigious work ethic and attention to detail.
As production editor, before becoming editor, he would be glued to his seat on the ‘back bench’ – the powerhouse of any newspaper – updating the paper between editions, improving headlines and making sure copy was accurate, easy to digest and, if appropriate, including the occasional joke. He was never po-faced.
One of his most endearing (and sometimes intimidating) habits as editor was to quietly approach the desk of the writer producing the front-page ‘ splash’ story, and peer over their shoulder to make sure the story was as described by the department head at the afternoon news conference.
In spite of his general shyness and personal reticence in the company of politicians and prominent figures, he would be quite happy to inject a phrase or idea into the copy of one of his senior journalists, however grand.
Preston, who was editor between 1975 and 1995, was responsible for a comprehensive redesign of the paper in 1988, which helped drive the circulation to a record of more than 500,000 sales a day.
He did not hesitate to make the changes, including the novel idea of promoting the best and brightest writers in the paper above the masthead. At the time, this was regarded as a dangerously radical departure.
It was four years later, in 1992, that Preston launched the daily features supplement G2, which fizzed with energy and life, and was widely admired by readers and Fleet Street rivals. Elsewhere, he was always a strong supporter of investigative journalism.
It was during his tenure that the paper published allegations that defence procurement minister Jonathan Aitken took bribes from Saudi arms dealers.
The story resulted in the Conservative MP’s eventual imprisonment for perjury in 1999.
Less successful had been Preston’s handling of a leaked document outlining the intended arrival at Greenham Common of American cruise missiles in 1983.
He splashed on the story, but when a court battle led to him being ordered to hand over the source documents, the Foreign Office clerk who leaked them, Sarah Tisdall, was jailed for six months.
It was an outcome that personally haunted him, and may have contributed to him stepping down in 1995.
A measure of the esteem and affection for the man many of us came to know as the ‘little old reader’ – because of his constant vigilance – was evident from the tributes from colleagues and former colleagues this week.
Roger Alton, a long-time colleague at The Guardian and a former editor of The Observer, who is now a senior executive at the Mail, described Preston as an inspirational figure, who protected The Guardian through some of the most turbulent times it faced. ‘ Through his innovation and drive he turned what had been a regional publication into a hugely respected global media brand,’ he said.
Peter Preston was born in Leicestershire in 1938 to John, a manager in the greengrocery trade, and Kathlyn, and grew up in the village of Quorn, two miles south of Loughborough.
He was ten when his father died from polio, and then he too caught the disease. For months he was kept alive in an iron lung, and it was almost two years before he returned to normal life.
After a grammar school education, he read English at St John’s College, Oxford, where he edited Cherwell, the student newspaper.
After graduating, Preston joined the Liverpool Daily Post as a trainee before being hired by The Guardian in 1963 as the paper was undergoing its move from Manchester to London.
He worked as a reporter, foreign correspondent, education correspondent, features editor and production editor before he became editor at the age of 37.
Peter died on Saturday at the age of 79, after being diagnosed with melanoma ten years ago.
Until his death he wrote a fiercely independent media column for The Observer. His final column was published on New Year’s Eve.
He also wrote two novels – Bess and 51st State.
Preston is survived by his wife, Jean, their twin daughters, Alex and Kate, two sons, Ben (now executive editor of The Sunday Times) and Rupert, three granddaughters and five grandsons.
He will be much missed not just by family, but by his wide circle of admirers in the media of all political persuasions.
‘Prodigious work ethic’ ‘Constant attention to detail’