Roy Greenslade
"Michelle Stanistreet: The NUJ will punch above its weight" ''The Guardian'' (blog), 25 April 2011.
Early life
Born and raised in Liverpool, the daughter of a police officer, she gained a scholarship to
Merchant Taylors' School Merchant Taylors' School may refer to:
*Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood (founded 1561), is a British independent school originally located in the City of London and now located in Northwood in Middlesex .
* Merchant Taylors' Boys' School, Crosb ...
in Crosby, and graduated with a degree in English and History from
Liverpool University
, mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning
, established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
.
Journalism career
Stanistreet worked as a journalist for ten years at the ''
Sunday Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet ...
'' newspaper as feature writer and books editor. She was elected the NUJ Mother of the Chapel at
Express Newspapers
Northern & Shell (holding company name Northern and Shell Network Ltd) is a British publishing group, founded in December 1974 and owned since then by Richard Desmond. Formerly a publisher of pornographic magazines including '' Penthouse'' and ' ...
, almost immediately after
Richard Desmond
Richard Clive Desmond (born 8 December 1951) is a British publisher, businessman and former pornographer.
According to the 2021 ''Sunday Times Rich List'', Desmond was the 107th richest person in the United Kingdom. He is the founder of Nort ...
took over in 2000 and campaigned successfully for recognition at the newspapers.
[Donnacha DeLon]
Why I’m supporting Michelle Stanistreet
''The Revolution Will Be Streamed'' (blog), 21 April 2008 Under her leadership, the NUJ Chapel twice reported their own newspaper to the
Press Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) was a voluntary Regulation, regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC closed on Monday 8 September 2014, and was replaced ...
–- in 2001 over coverage of
asylum seekers
An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and m ...
and, in 2004, over coverage of
Gypsies, unsuccessfully on both occasions.
NUJ positions
Stanistreet also served as the national representative for newspapers and agencies on the NUJ's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC). In 2006, she was elected vice-president of the NUJ and in 2007–08 served as the union's president. She was the first woman deputy general secretary, elected in 2008, and became the first woman in the NUJ's history to be elected as general secretary in April 2011.
Politics
In February 2013, in line with the NUJ, Stanistreet was among those who gave their support to the
People's Assembly in a letter published by ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' newspaper.
[People's Assembly opening lette]
"People's Assembly Against Austerity"
''The Guardian'', 5 February 2013.
References
External links
NUJ’s first woman General Secretary speaks about role
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanistreet, Michelle
1974 births
British journalists
General Secretaries of the National Union of Journalists
Living people
Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress
Presidents of the National Union of Journalists