Jon Snow
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| Jon Snow | |
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| Born | 28 September 1947 Ardingly, Sussex, England |
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| Occupation | Television journalist and broadcaster |
| Children | Two daughters |
Jon Snow (born 28 September 1947) is a British television newscaster on Channel 4 News, produced by ITN. He is the son of the schoolmaster and Bishop George D'Oyly Snow, grandson of First World War general Thomas D'Oyly Snow and cousin of now-retired BBC television news presenter Peter Snow.[1]
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Snow was born in Ardingly, Sussex. His father was an Anglican clergyman and schoolteacher, and he was brought up at Ardingly College, a respected independent school where his father George D'Oyly Snow was headmaster. He later attended the independent St Edward's School in Oxford. His father would later become Bishop of Whitby.
After mixed success in his first attempt to pass his A level qualifications he moved to Yorkshire Coast College, Scarborough, where, he later obtained the necessary qualifications to gain a place studying law at University of Liverpool. However, he did not complete the degree, being rusticated for his part in a student protest, in which he threw paint over the statue of Queen Victoria in Scarborough, then opting not to return.
After leaving Liverpool he worked for New Horizon Youth Centre, a day centre for young drug addicts in central London - an organisation with which he has remained involved and of which he subsequently became chairman. Snow was an assistant to Lord Longford and for a year was a VSO volunteer in Northern Uganda, East Africa.[2]
[edit] Journalist
Without any journalistic experience he joined the radio station LBC as a journalist, and happened to be in the right place at the right time when he was sent by IRN News Editor Derek Grant to report live on commercial radio throughout the Balcombe Street Siege in London. As a result of his reporting and an inside tip from his cousin and ITN employee Peter Snow, Jon moved on to television news organisation ITN in 1976.
He served as ITN's Washington correspondent (1983-1986) and as diplomatic editor (1986-1989) before becoming the main presenter of Channel 4 News in 1989. In 1992 he was the main anchor for ITN's Election Night programme, broadcast on ITV; he presented the programme alongside Sir Robin Day, Alastair Stewart, and Julia Somerville. (Previously ITN's programme had typically been presented by Sir Alastair Burnet, who left ITN in 1991. The 1992 election night programme was the only one hosted by Snow, he was replaced by Jonathan Dimbleby from 1997 onwards.) He has won several RTS Awards - two for reports from El Salvador, one for his reporting of the Kegworth air disaster, and two as "Presenter of the Year".
In 2002 he returned to radio, presenting Jon Snow Reports on Oneword Radio, a weekly show and podcast. He writes regular articles for the Channel 4 News website, and writes 'Snowmail' - a daily email newsletter on the big stories coming up on the evening edition of Channel 4 News. Although being reputed to have said that he would rather not wear ties on air,[3] he is a leading ambassador of fabulous ties, and socks for that matter.
[edit] Memorable incidents
One of the most memorable moments of Snow's presentation of the Channel 4 News came in 2003 when, at the height of the "dodgy dossier" affair, Alastair Campbell walked into the studio to rebut statements by the BBC. With no notes or preparation Snow questioned Campbell about the affair.[citation needed]
He refuses to wear any symbol which may represent his views on air; in the run up to Remembrance Day he condemned "Poppy Fascism" because "in the end there really must be more important things in life than whether a news presenter wears symbols on his lapels."[4]
On 28 February 2008 Jon Snow courted controversy by claiming that the British Media silence on the decision to allow Prince Harry to fight in Afghanistan was unacceptable with the following statement.[5]
"I never thought I'd find myself saying thank God for Drudge. The infamous US blogger has broken the best kept editorial secret of recent times. Editors have been sworn to secrecy over Prince Harry being sent to fight in Afghanistan three months ago. "
These remarks provoked criticism from some members of the public and other media outlets[6], with some accusing Snow of wishing to undermine the safety of the Prince and his troops, and (according to the Daily Mail) one Captain in the armed forces calling it treason.[7]
[edit] Personal life
Snow was briefly engaged in 1979 to fellow ITN journalist Anna Ford, who later became an equally high profile television news presenter.
For 35 years his partner was human rights lawyer Madeleine Colvin, with whom he has two daughters.[2] The couple reportedly split up in May 2007.[citation needed] On June 3, the Mail on Sunday retracted two stories claiming Snow had had an affair and smoked cannabis.[8]
[edit] Honours and public positions
Snow is a trustee of the National Gallery and, in this capacity, sits as a trustee also of the Tate Gallery. In the released papers of trustee meetings of the latter institution, Snow was the only trustee to seriously question the gallery's purchase of The Upper Room by Chris Ofili.
He is a Patron of Prisoners Abroad, a UK charity which supports British citizens detained outside of the UK.
He is a Patron of the One World Broadcasting Trust, a charity which uses the media to promote global understanding, and he presents the charity's annual One World Media Awards.
He holds the ceremonial post of chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, and regularly attends ceremonial events at the University. He is also an honorary professor and guest lecturer on Stirling University's Film & Media Studies course.[9]
- From February 15, 2006 he is an honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, an annually-conferred lifetime honour which allows recipients to use the initials Hon FRIBA after their name.[10] He also has an honorary degree from Aberdeen University, in recognition of his services to broadcasting.
Snow became President of the Cyclists' Touring Club in January 2007, succeeding Phil Liggett.[11]
Snow declined an OBE, then investigated and presented a Channel 4 documentary named Secrets of the Honours System.
[edit] References
- ^ Snow, Jon (3 May 2005). Shooting History. London: Harper Perennial, 352. ISBN 0007171854.
- ^ a b Interview: Jon Snow, Channel 4 News For the Evening Standard, by David Rowan
- ^ http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/charlie_porter/2007/07/tied_to_the_job.html The Guardian Unlimited
- ^ Jon Snow Rails Against 'Poppy Fascism'
- ^ Channel 4 - News - Snowmail: Prince Harry in Afghanistan
- ^ the Daily Mail
- ^ http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/02_04/003druggereport_800x210.jpg
- ^ "Mail on Sunday apology to Jon Snow", Channel 4 News, 2 June 2007. Retrieved on 2007-06-12.
- ^ Film & Media Studies. Undergraduate Courses. University of Stirling.
- ^ RIBA announces 16 Honorary Fellowships (29 September 2005).
- ^ "Jon Snow new CTC President", Cyclists' Touring Club, 2006-09-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-01.
[edit] External links
- Jon's profile at ITN.co.uk
- Jon Snow biography at Oxford Brookes University
- Jon Snow interview From London's Evening Standard
- Snowmail Jon Snow's daily email newsletter
