Level | Item |
Ref No | OHP/84 |
Title | Margaret Smith |
Date | 30 October 2001 |
Extent | 1 minidisc, 1 cd, 1 file, 7 AIFF files (467.5 MB) |
Creator Name | Smith; Margaret (1932-); secretary |
Description | 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 Status | Open |
Access Conditions | Access to recording via GNM Digital Repository |
Format | Electronic record |
CD recording |
Minidisc recording |
Printed document |
Copyright | Guardian News & Media Ltd and Margaret Smith |
Show related Persons records.