Peter Stothard
Encyclopedia
Sir Peter Stothard is a British
newspaper
editor
. He currently edits the Times Literary Supplement, and edited The Times
from 1992 to 2002.
He was educated at Brentwood School
, Essex (1962-68) and Trinity College, Oxford
, where he became editor of Oxford University student newspaper Cherwell
, after which he joined the BBC and wrote for the New Statesman
, New Society and Plays and Players. He joined The Sunday Times
in 1978 and The Times
in 1981 where he was chief leader writer, deputy editor and US editor, based in Washington. He was knighted for services to the newspaper industry in 2003. He published Thirty Days: An Inside Account of Tony Blair
at War (ISBN 0-06-058262-6 www.harpercollins.co.uk) in 2004 which was based on observations inside Downing Street during the Iraq War.
During Stothard's editorship, The Times reached a circulation of more than 900,000 - the highest in its history. This was the result of the so-called 'price war' which started in 1993 when The Times reduced its cover price and started intense circulation battles against The Daily Telegraph
and The Independent
. Under the ownership of News International, led by Rupert Murdoch, The Times had identified the Telegraph rather than The Guardian
as its main rival while The Independent was at first a serious challenger to The Times. One enduring result of the price war was a significant narrowing of the gap between The Times and Daily Telegraph and a widening of the gap with The Independent.
In 1999 he became involved in a controversial legal dispute over political funding with the Conservative Party
Treasurer, Michael Ashcroft. Lord Ashcroft sued but subsequently withdrew his suit after a statement agreed by both parties.
Stothard was named as Editor of the Year in the same year by Granada TV's
What the Papers Say
.
In 2000 he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and was away from The Times for ten months for successful treatment.
At The Times Literary Supplement he writes mainly on Greek drama and Roman poetry. He also maintains a regular blog on politics and culture, both Classical and contemporary.
In 2010 his memoir On the Spartacus Road combined an account of the Spartacus
uprising with elements of autobiography.
Stothard writes on British politics and classical literature for The Wall Street Journal
and American politics for The Times Magazine. He is a trustee of Cancerbackup, the cancer information charity, and of the Roundhouse Trust for the performing arts.
He is married to the novelist and travel writer Sally Emerson
and has a son, Michael (Born 1987), and a daughter, Anna (Born 1983), author of the novel Isabel and Rocco (Random House).
Stothard appears as a character briefly in the first scene of a one-level Tomb Raider expansion videogame made by Core Design
in association with The Times. The expansion is called Times Exclusive Level and was released in 2000.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
. He currently edits the Times Literary Supplement, and edited The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
from 1992 to 2002.
He was educated at Brentwood School
Brentwood School (England)
Brentwood School is an independent school in Brentwood, Essex, England. Educating boys and girls in a British public school tradition. Brentwood School is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
, Essex (1962-68) and Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
, where he became editor of Oxford University student newspaper Cherwell
Cherwell (newspaper)
Cherwell is an independent newspaper, largely published for students of Oxford University. First published in 1920, it has had an online edition since 1996. Named after the local river, Cherwell is published by OSPL , who also publish the sister publication ISIS along with the Etcetera Supplement...
, after which he joined the BBC and wrote for the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
, New Society and Plays and Players. He joined The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
in 1978 and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in 1981 where he was chief leader writer, deputy editor and US editor, based in Washington. He was knighted for services to the newspaper industry in 2003. He published Thirty Days: An Inside Account of Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
at War (ISBN 0-06-058262-6 www.harpercollins.co.uk) in 2004 which was based on observations inside Downing Street during the Iraq War.
During Stothard's editorship, The Times reached a circulation of more than 900,000 - the highest in its history. This was the result of the so-called 'price war' which started in 1993 when The Times reduced its cover price and started intense circulation battles against The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
and The Independent
The Independent
The 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...
. Under the ownership of News International, led by Rupert Murdoch, The Times had identified the Telegraph rather than The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as its main rival while The Independent was at first a serious challenger to The Times. One enduring result of the price war was a significant narrowing of the gap between The Times and Daily Telegraph and a widening of the gap with The Independent.
In 1999 he became involved in a controversial legal dispute over political funding with the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Treasurer, Michael Ashcroft. Lord Ashcroft sued but subsequently withdrew his suit after a statement agreed by both parties.
Stothard was named as Editor of the Year in the same year by Granada TV's
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
What the Papers Say
What the Papers Say
What The Papers Say is a BBC radio programme that originally ran for many years on British television.Its first incarnation was the second longest-running programme on British television after Panorama...
.
In 2000 he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and was away from The Times for ten months for successful treatment.
At The Times Literary Supplement he writes mainly on Greek drama and Roman poetry. He also maintains a regular blog on politics and culture, both Classical and contemporary.
In 2010 his memoir On the Spartacus Road combined an account of the Spartacus
Spartacus
Spartacus was a famous leader of the slaves in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Little is known about Spartacus beyond the events of the war, and surviving historical accounts are sometimes contradictory and may not always be reliable...
uprising with elements of autobiography.
Stothard writes on British politics and classical literature for The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
and American politics for The Times Magazine. He is a trustee of Cancerbackup, the cancer information charity, and of the Roundhouse Trust for the performing arts.
He is married to the novelist and travel writer Sally Emerson
Sally Emerson
Sally Emerson is a British writer.She has written several novels and an anthology of poetry, as well as numerous articles for The Sunday Times, The Guardian and The Washington Post....
and has a son, Michael (Born 1987), and a daughter, Anna (Born 1983), author of the novel Isabel and Rocco (Random House).
Stothard appears as a character briefly in the first scene of a one-level Tomb Raider expansion videogame made by Core Design
Core Design
Core Design was a British video game studio best known today for creating the popular Tomb Raider series.-History:Based in the city of Derby, England, Core Design was set up in 1988 by Chris Shrigley, Andy Green, Rob Toone, Terry Lloyd, Simon Phipps, Dave Pridmore, Jeremy Heath-Smith and Greg Holmes...
in association with The Times. The expansion is called Times Exclusive Level and was released in 2000.