Description | Interview with Harry Jackson, journalist for the Guardian, conducted by Leslie Plommer. The interview took place on two separate occasions, beginning 14 July 2001 (discs 1, 2 and 3 (part)) and concluding on 20 October 2002 (discs 3 (part) and 4). Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording and notes on Harry Jackson's career with key dates.
Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):
Disc 1: Track 1 Test
Track 2 00.55 How Harry got his job at the Guardian 03.26 Messenger boy years 04.45 Time spent in Wormwood Scrubs following imprisonment as a conscientious objector
12.40 Returning to the Guardian
Track 3 Test
Track 4 01.30 Mid 1952 Meeting with AP Wadsworth 03.00 First subs job in Manchester from November 04.28 Learning printing terminology and the Guardian style book 06.40 The reaction when he came back to London as a sub 08.04 Office routine; size of team; running of office
Track 5 00.28 London office on Fleet Street 01.40 Discusses colleagues at the office 02.10 Remembers John Beavan 03.00 Remembers Gerard Fay 04.37 Remembers Iain Hamilton, editor of the Spectator 05.46 Remembers John Bowra 06.45 Remembers Eve Crossland 07.46 Remembers Mrs Van Trier 09.36 Remembers Philip Hope-Wallace, Drama & Opera Critic Neville Cardus
13.40 Riding a scooter and types of news coverage i.e. train crashes 16.16 Discusses Francis Boyd 17.54 Discusses Michael Frayn
Track 6 Test
Track 7 00.40 Changes at the Guardian 05.45 Going undercover to check compositors misprints on the Guardian 07.00 Ethos change, problem spotting and the move Manchester to London Office 09.52 Discusses Nesta Roberts
10.09 Discusses Dennis Hart 11.20 Kemsley House and problems at Guardian 13.20 Peter Gibbings and the 1966 crisis
Track 8 03.25 Remembers Alastair Hetherington and the issue of the title of the London Office Editor 03.40 Remembers Fay
Track 9 00.00 Continues to discuss Fay 03.00 Remembers Hetherington and his proposal that Jackson should travel around the world writing about how governments should be run
Disc 2: Track 1 01.00 Hetherington and his qualities as an editor. Gave the writers a lot of creative freedom 01.50 Dislike of leader columns
Track 2 01.00 Job responsibilities 01.30 Last day on the news desk and starting new job 05.00 Expansion of job, assignments given by Hetherington 09.15 The journalists differing views over the European Union
12.00 Poor communication between the subs, writers and the editor 16.20 Letter from Lord Marks 'no Jewish advertising should appear in the Guardian unless it changed its line' 19.40 Ireland, 1968 and posting to Belfast
Track 3 00.40 Reasons for being sent to Biafra and experiences there 05.00 Israel and the Israeli war 08.00 Cost of sending copy from abroad
12.00 Tel Aviv ceasefire 19.00 Jordan and breaking the censorship rules. Syndication with Washington Post and American embassy
22.30 Czechoslovakia
38.00 Northern Ireland 'seige mentality' of press coverage
40.30 Saigon 41.40 News desk's perception of distance between jobs 42.00 Theory of maps. Misjudgement of distances 43.00 Saigon under siege. Difficulty in getting accreditations
Disc 3: Track 1 - 14 July 2001 00.00 Work in Saigon, attitude of Alastair Hetherington towards Americans and Vietnam 02.42 CORDs civilian side in Vietnam war and its leader, [Coma] 04.30 Hetherington article about police chief vetting voting lists 05.27 Being sent to Israel, writing piece contradicting Guardian's editorial line
Track 2 - 20 October 2002 00.00 Being in Middle East/ and srael after 6 days war. The sinking of the INS Eilat 03.38 Northern Ireland Derry protest march, MPs and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) 04.43 Working in Northern Ireland with Geoffrey Moorhouse, attitude of civil service in Stormont 08.00 Press conference with Ian Paisley 09.00 Mechanics of reporting
14.18 Working during riots and being mistaken for a police spy 18.00 Army barricade of Falls Road
20.00 Describes army arriving, mentions John Cunningham, broadcasting from Derry 22.00 Mayhem in Falls Road, petrol bombing, seven year old killed in his bed 24.01 Derry press conference, row over CS gas, Ian Wright arriving on honeymoon 26.00 Bank side by-election, won by O'Neill. Chichester-Clarke taking over 27.00 Peace in Northern Ireland, Ann McCarthy, and Northern Ireland policy
34.49 John Cole and Alastair Hetherington disagreement over Hetherington's biography 36.12 Communication with Harry Whewell in Manchester 39.30 Interrogations of IRA prisoners
41.48 Present at Bogside riots 42.38 * 44.00 Discussion of Simon Winchester and press coverage of Northern Ireland
Track 3 - 20 October 2002 03.40 Writing leader writer pieces 04.50 Becoming features editor Peter Preston becoming night editor 08.00 Naming religious column 'Face to Faith'
12.51 Quality of subbing, difficulties with John Course 18.00 Peter Gibbings deal for Canadian newsprint, and quality compared to Norwegian
Disc 4: Track 1 00.00 Technological problems involved with production in pre computer age 04.11 Monetary constraints on features department 05.45 Fight to get Watergate articles 08.20 Women's page dispute
10.30 Letter's Page Dispute 14.15 Differences with Peter Preston 17.15 What Jackson wanted to achieve in Features. 18.50 Off to Washington
20.00 Missing clues to two big stories; the Watergate scandal and the stalking and shooting of George Wallace 22.30 Starting work in Washington and joining the 21st century 28.20 Build up to the 1980 presidential election 29.25 Ease of work in America and the helpfulness of American citizens
32.32 Iranian hostage crisis and petrol crisis 34.00 Difficulties of working as a foreign correspondent in the United States
41.40 How computers transformed work in different time zones 42.58 Benefits of working as a foreign correspondent in the US
50.00 Leaving Washington 51.00 Ronald Reagan's office 53.20 Difficulties in getting through to an overseas audience. Comments on the Guardian today Track 2 00.00 Covering the Three Mile Island accident at the nuclear power station in Pennsylvania, US 03.25 The Third Amendment to the US Constitution and getting what you want as a journalist in America 05.55 Using obscure sources for stories
11.50 Other work and roles and how they were good for networking
Track 3 00.00 Daily routine in Washington, communications with London 02.35 Front page basement, finding quirky stories with Alex 02.50 Responsibility for getting Playback sent out to all foreign correspondents 03.50 Benefits of travelling in the United States
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