I did two spells at the Evening Standard, the first in the late 1980s, the second, as editor, between 2012 and 2017. In that first period of time, we covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, the premiership of Margaret Thatcher, the Big Bang and its consequences, and the drama of Princess Diana, still using typewriters and hot metal.
My second phase of the Evening Standard took us through the London Olympics to Brexit, which we covered with an apocalyptic front page picture of lightning striking Westminster.
Ah, those front pages! But we were no longer holding the front page for breaking news and front pages no longer sold papers. We were in the age of the internet.
And now this is where we are going mostly to exist. It is a commercial imperative and an editorial reincarnation. Change or die.
Shortly before I left, I paid a visit to Facebook to discuss the elephant in the room.
Advertising income. The friendly senior executive offered to improve my digital profile. I laughed in despair: "I don't want a profile. I want the money back."
Beware nostalgia. Recently, I was having lunch with my friend, and former Evening Standard columnist and literary editor, A.N. Wilson at the Ivy restaurant on Kensington High Street, opposite the Evening Standard’s former offices. We were discussing old times, because we have known each other almost 40 years since we met at the newspaper, and we were remembering that about this time of day we would have expected to hear the cry of the newspaper sellers: “Read all about it! Evening Standard! Read all about it!”
Denne historien er fra October 03, 2024-utgaven av The London Standard.
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Denne historien er fra October 03, 2024-utgaven av The London Standard.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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"We're building a Spurs squad to compete now. This is not a project for five years time
BACK in December, in the run up to Christmas, Tottenham's technical director Johan Lange travelled to Stockholm on a special assignment. Lange's mission was to persuade Lucas Bergvall, one of the most exciting young players in Europe, to visit Spurs in the New Year.
England's breakthrough star faces biggest challenge yet
Pakistan, the Ashes and fatherhood now lie in wait for Jamie Smith
Bizarre search results, battles in court - is it game over for Google?
RICHARD GODWIN asks if time could finally be running out for the all-powerful behemoth
Finneas
He's won Grammys and Oscars, but his proudest achievement? His relationship with his sister... Billie Eilish
Has this legend of the London restaurant scene lost its cool?
Once upon a time —not so long ago, less than a decade — being a D&D restaurant meant something. Back then, Le Pont de la Tour and Coq d’ Argent were governed by swathes of the most moneyed City regulars; Sartoria offered a hangout on Savile Row as stylish as any of its neighbouring tailors; and Quaglino’s, until recently, was the place mere mortals were most likely to bump into Prince Harry or Mick Jagger.
Message to the Jews
Beware your liberal values those you see as allies are the vultures waiting for your demise
Are these the 18 ways that we could transform London?
The capital could actually be good, but we need some radical new rules
Change or die... London's eternal lesson to us all
Like the city it serves, the new Standard must build on the best of the past
The Tories are their own unique brand of special
Like Republicans, they're on a journey, but it couldn't be more different
Plane truths...the world's most loved and loathed airlines
From endless delays and frightening mishaps to delightful cabin crew, the differences between airlines can be astonishing. So which ones rule the air and which dontimpress?
