Neil Wallis
Encyclopedia
Neil John Wallis is a former newspaper editor in the United Kingdom.
.
from 1986, rising to become Deputy Editor of The Sun
from 1993. He left in 1998 and took up the editorship of The People
. In 2003, he moved to become Deputy Editor of the News of the World
, and in 2007 he became Executive Editor of the paper. In May 2009, he announced that he would be leaving his post later in the year. He was known as "the wolf man" by fellow journalists.
Wallis is a former member of the Editors' Code of Practice Committee at the Press Complaints Commission
.
on a part-time basis from October 2009 to September 2010 whilst the Met's Deputy Director of Public Affairs was on extended sick leave.
It is alleged that while recovering from illness Sir Paul Stephenson
, head of the Metropolitan Police, accepted a free extended stay (worth £12,000) at a Champneys
health spa, a company which then employed Wallis for PR work. Upon announcing his resignation from the Metropolitan Police on 17 July 2011, Stephenson acknowledged that his decision to resign was "in particular in relation to Neil Wallis".
Early life
Wallis was born in Lincolnshire. He attended Skegness Grammar SchoolSkegness Grammar School
The Skegness Grammar School is a selective grammar school, a sixth form centre and a specialist school with two disciplines, firstly as a sport college and since 2006 also a mathematics and computing college, located in Skegness Lincolnshire for children aged between eleven and eighteen...
.
Journalism
Wallis worked for News InternationalNews International
News International Ltd is the United Kingdom newspaper publishing division of News Corporation. Until June 2002, it was called News International plc....
from 1986, rising to become Deputy Editor of The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
from 1993. He left in 1998 and took up the editorship of The People
The People
The People, previously known as the Sunday People, is a British tabloid Sunday-only newspaper. The paper was founded on 16 October 1881.It is published by the Trinity Mirror Group.In July 2011 it had an average daily circulation of 806,544....
. In 2003, he moved to become Deputy Editor of the News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
, and in 2007 he became Executive Editor of the paper. In May 2009, he announced that he would be leaving his post later in the year. He was known as "the wolf man" by fellow journalists.
Wallis is a former member of the Editors' Code of Practice Committee at the Press Complaints Commission
Press Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission is a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines...
.
Public relations
After leaving journalism he worked for the Outside Organisation, a company specialising in public relations, becoming Managing Director in 2010. Wallis' own company, Chamy Media, provided "strategic communication advice and support" to the Metropolitan PoliceMetropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
on a part-time basis from October 2009 to September 2010 whilst the Met's Deputy Director of Public Affairs was on extended sick leave.
It is alleged that while recovering from illness Sir Paul Stephenson
Paul Stephenson (police officer)
Sir Paul Robert Stephenson, QPM was the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, 2009-2011, the most senior police officer within the United Kingdom....
, head of the Metropolitan Police, accepted a free extended stay (worth £12,000) at a Champneys
Champneys
Champneys is the brand name of a destination spa group in the United Kingdom. Champneys Health Resorts Group own four spa resorts and has become one of the largest destination spa operators in the world...
health spa, a company which then employed Wallis for PR work. Upon announcing his resignation from the Metropolitan Police on 17 July 2011, Stephenson acknowledged that his decision to resign was "in particular in relation to Neil Wallis".
Arrest
On 14 July 2011, Mr Wallis was arrested by the Metropolitan Police investigating the News of the World phone hacking scandal. Upon the announcement of this Outside Organisation edited their website, removing his listing as MD and a part of his biography which had stated "What he [Wallis] doesn’t know about journalism and media isn’t worth knowing".Wallis' daughter
John Yates is under investigation for having procured a job for Wallis's daughter.External links
- Collected news and commentary at The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
- "Scotland Yard Stint Lands Former Editor in Spotlight", Wall Street Journal, 21 July 2011