Level | Item |
Ref No | OHP/105 |
Title | Derek Brown |
Date | February 2002-September 2003 |
Extent | 1 audio tape, 1 minidisc, 1 cd, 1 file, 5 AIFF files (791.6 MB) |
Creator Name | Brown; Derek A (1947-2011); journalist and writer |
Description | Interview with Derek Brown, journalist for the Guardian. Conducted by Donald Wintersgill on 3 September 2003. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording, notes on the interview and his farewell speech recorded by Leslie Plommer on 21 February 2002.
Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):
Disc 1: Tracks 1-3 Test
Track 4 00.40 Before the Guardian, worked for Southport Visiter 00.40 After the first morning at the Visiter, decided he loved it and stayed for three years 02.07 Applied to the Guardian and was interviewed in the corridor 03.26 Geoffrey Taylor phoned Feb 1970 to offer the job of No. 2 in the Leeds district office working with Mike Parkin 04.45 Went to Northern Ireland as back-up when troubles began in early 1971 05.24 Began a five year stint in Ireland from August 1972 06.42 Lessons learnt from Harry Whewell 07.07 Guardian's approach to reporting Northern Ireland 08.16 Most Guardian people were pro-Irish unification 08.16 Talks about the horrors of internment 09.23 How he never met Alastair Hetherington as he had been recruited in the North 09.23 Hetherington visited Northern Ireland
14.05 No-go areas and the practice of tarring and feathering 16.52 Violence and horrid things going on in Northern Ireland 17.52 Reported to Manchester up until 1976 17.52 Relationship between the Manchester and London newsdesks 17.52 Move from Manchester to London
20.30 Guardian of the 1970s was not a serious newspaper, later gained substance and increased circulation 20.30 Changed from always reporting the Manchester cotton prices to a must-read newspaper 22.55 Summer of 1977 moved to Parliament - very constraining and clubbish after Belfast 27.50 In 1979 moves to newsdesk to work with Peter Cole - only time he worked regular hours
Track 5 01.44 Moves to features as a general writer 01.44 Features was more serious then, less concentrated on lifestyle 05.27 1983 becomes a foreign correspondent in Brussels and spent 3.5 years there. 05.27 Difficulty in understanding Eurobabble
10.27 Moves to India for 6 years - the top job in journalism 10.27 Had enormous freedom to roam and freedom from technology 14.44 Dislike of Afghanistan - barbaric but scenically beautiful 19.15 From India to Jerusalem 19.15 Disliked Israel intensely - the country's divided and unhappy
21.00 Easy place to work as a journalist but difficult to write anything which didn't produce howls of anger 22.54 Peter Preston's visit to Israel with the Guild of Newspaper Editors, in '85 or '86 22.54 On Preston's he was told he had lost his job 27.02 Preston, very typically, is still to be seen taking a huge interest in the Guardian
30.40 Summer 1996 was told his services as a foreign correspondent were not required 30.40 Recording ends abruptly
|
Access Status | Open |
Access Conditions | Access to recording via GNM Digital Repository |
Format | Electronic record |
CD recording |
Printed document |
Tape recording |
Minidisc recording |
Copyright | Guardian News & Media Ltd and Derek Brown |
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