Roger Alton
Roger Alton was the editor (1998–2007) of The Observer, in April 2008, he was appointed senior editor of the Independent (seemingly in line to replace Simon Kelner -- who at the time was 'editor-in-chief'. [1] And about his role:
- Is Mr Alton the right man for the job? He was a very successful editor of The Observer, but he tended to take that paper a shade downmarket. He should do the opposite with The Independent. Mr Kelner is evidently going to burnish the brand so that the paper is again seen as the fashionable, must-read accessory of the intellectual elite. If Mr Alton produces an exciting and upmarket newspaper, they could be in business. [2]
Contents
'Lobbying hard for war'
In February 2003, the Independent columnist Johann Hari (who has since apologised for his pro-war stance [3]) identified Alton as one of a group of centre-left figures 'lobbying hard' for the US/UK invasion of Iraq:
A year ago, the proposals for a second Gulf War seemed very much the brainchild of the American right. The intellectual arguments backing the conflict emerged almost entirely from hard-right US think-tanks and senators. But then, a funny thing happened: a significant portion of the dissident left began to come out, in dribs and drabs, for overthrowing Saddam by force. There is now a considerable school of British centre-left thinkers and commentators who are lobbying hard for war, so that the Iraqi people can be freed: Christopher Hitchens, Nick Cohen, John Lloyd, Julie Burchill, Roger Alton and David Aaronovitch.[4]
Views
On Tony Blair:
You've been one of Fleet Street's most loyal supporters of Tony Blair. How do you feel about him now?
I think he's a very good prime minister and an exceptional politician who will be much missed when he's gone. Some of the hostility to him is quite baffling. I just can't understand it. It doesn't logically relate to things - I mean, if you think of civil partnerships, the minimum wage, improvements in health ...
Aren't we forgetting Iraq?
Well, you can rerun the tapes and cuttings but personally I can't find any kind of point of view which says the world would be a better place if Saddam Hussein was in power. [5]
Contact, References and Resources
Contact
Resources
- Media Lens, Flexible Friends - The Observer, The Independent, and The Myth of a Media Spectrum, 29 April 2008
References
- ↑ Stephen Glover, 'Onward, upward: the road Mr. Alton should follow', Independent, 14 April 2008.
- ↑ ibid.
- ↑ Johann Hari, After three years, after 150,000 dead, why I was wrong about Iraq, JohannHari.com, 18 March 2006
- ↑ Johann Hari, ‘Whose side are you on?’, Independent, 25 February 2003
- ↑ Jane Thynne, 'Roger Alton - The guardian of old Fleet Street', Independent on Sunday, 19 November 2006
