Jon Snow

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This article is about the British newscaster. For other people named Jon or John Snow, see John Snow (disambiguation).
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Jon Snow

At the Channel 4 awards on 23 January 2008
Born Jon Snow
(1947-09-28) 28 September 1947 (age 64)
Ardingly, Sussex, England
Ethnicity English
Occupation Journalist, television presenter
Notable credit(s) Channel 4 News
Relatives Peter Snow, Dan Snow

Jon Snow (born 28 September 1947) is an English journalist and presenter, currently employed by ITN. He is best known for presenting Channel 4 News.

He was Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University from 2001 to 2008.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Snow was born in Ardingly, Sussex. He is the son of the schoolmaster and Bishop of Whitby, George D'Oyly Snow, grandson of First World War general Thomas D'Oyly Snow (about whom he writes in his Foreword to Ronald Skirth's war memoir The Reluctant Tommy[1]), and cousin of retired BBC television news presenter Peter Snow.[2]

[edit] Education

Snow was educated at an independent school, Ardingly College, where his father George D'Oyly Snow was headmaster. He later attended the independent St Edward's School in Oxford. At age 18 he was for a year a VSO volunteer teaching in Northern Uganda.[3][4]

After mixed success in his first attempt to pass his A level qualifications he moved to the Yorkshire Coast College, Scarborough, where he later obtained the necessary qualifications to gain a place studying law at the University of Liverpool. However, he did not complete the degree, being rusticated for his part in a student protest. However he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters at Liverpool University in 2011.[5]

[edit] Life and career

After leaving Liverpool, Snow worked for New Horizon Youth Centre, a day centre for homeless young people 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.[citation needed]

[edit] Journalist

Snow in June 2007.

He served as ITN's Washington correspondent (1983–1986) and as diplomatic editor (1986–1989)[3] 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[3] - two for reports from El Salvador, one for his reporting of the Kegworth air disaster, and two as "Presenter of the Year".[citation needed]

In 2002 he returned to radio, presenting Jon Snow Reports on Oneword Radio, a weekly show and podcast. He wrote 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.

He is known for his vast collection of colourful ties and socks.[3][6]

On June 14, 2011, Snow presented the RTS award-winning investigative documentary Sri Lanka's Killing Fields, directed by Callum McCrae, which documented war crimes committed in the finals days of the Sri lankan conflict in 2009. The program consisted of some of the most horrific footage ever broadcast in the UK; its second part, Sri Lanka's Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished was broadcast in March 2012.[7]

Snow declined an OBE because he believes working journalists should not take honours from those that they report on.[8][9]

[edit] Memorable incidents

Whilst working as a journalist in Uganda he flew sitting next to president Idi Amin in the presidential jet. He has recounted how whilst Amin appeared to be asleep he thought seriously about taking Amin's revolver and shooting him dead, but was worried about the consequences of firing a loose round in a jet.[10]

In 1976, Snow rejected an approach by the British intelligence services to spy on his colleagues. At first he was asked to supply information about the Communist Party, but he was then asked to spy on certain "left-wing people" working in television.[8][11] In return he would have received secret monthly tax-free payments into his bank account, matching his then salary.[12][13]

In 2003, 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.[14]

In 2004, Snow published an autobiography, Shooting History.

He refuses to wear any symbol which may represent his views on air; in the run up to Remembrance Day he condemned what he called '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".[15]

On 28 February 2008 Snow courted controversy by claiming that the silence of the British media on the decision to allow Prince Harry to fight in Afghanistan was unacceptable with the following statement:[16] "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,[17] with some accusing Snow of wishing to undermine the safety of the Prince and his troops, and (according to Snow himself at the end of that day's bulletin, and later reported in the Daily Mail) one captain in the armed forces called Snow's actions "treason".[18]

On 9 February 2009, Snow interviewed Lt-Col Yvonne Bradley, the military counsel for Binyam Mohamed, a British resident detained for five years at Guantanamo Bay. Snow asked if Mohamed's allegations of torture were justified. Lt-Col Bradley said there was no doubt at all that he had been tortured.[citation needed] Mohamed was released and returned to Britain on 23 February 2009. In November 2010 Snow was sent to Haiti to report on the cholera outbreak.[citation needed]

[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.[4] For 35 years his partner was human rights lawyer Madeleine Colvin, with whom he has two daughters.[4] In March 2010 he married Precious Lunga, a ­Zimbabwe-born academic.[19]

He was a school governor for many years at Brecknock Primary School, Camden, London.[20]

[edit] Affiliations

  • Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University from 2001 to 2008, regularly attending ceremonial events at the University. In 2009 he was awarded an honorary degree by Oxford Brookes - Doctor of the University.[23]
  • Honorary Fellow (since 15 February 2006) of the Royal Institute of British Architects, an annually-conferred lifetime honour which allows the recipient to use the initials Hon FRIBA after his or her surname.[25] Snow has an honorary degree from Aberdeen University, in recognition of his services to broadcasting.
  • Patron of Reprieve, a legal action charity which uses the law to enforce the human rights of prisoners, from death row to Guantánamo Bay.[27]
  • Patron of the African Prisons Project, an international non-governmental organisation with a mission to bring dignity and hope to men women and children in African prisons through health, education, justice and reintegration.[28]
  • Patron of The DIPEx Charity, a UK-based charity that produces two health websites, Healthtalkonline[31] and Youthhealthtalk,[32] featuring people's real life experiences of health and illness.[33]

[edit] Bibliography

Book cover of Shooting History

Snow published his autobiographical work, Shooting History, in 2004. The book was published by Harper Perennial and details Snow's life from his childhood, up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[34]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ronald Skirth; Jon Snow (16 April 2010). Duncan Barrett. ed. The Reluctant Tommy: An Extraordinary Memoir of the First World War. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0230746732 
  2. ^ Snow, Jon (3 May 2005). Shooting History. London: Harper Perennial. pp. 352. ISBN 0007171854. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0007171854. 
  3. ^ a b c d e "Jon Snow - Chancellor". Oxford Brookes University. Archived from the original on 2004-03-02. http://web.archive.org/web/20040302173452/http://www.brookes.ac.uk/smt/jon_snow. 
  4. ^ a b c David Rowan. "Interview: Jon Snow, Channel 4 News". Evening Standard. http://www.davidrowan.com/2005/06/interview-jon-snow-channel-4-news_29.html. Retrieved 2011-01-13. 
  5. ^ University of Liverpool Alumni - Jon Snow
  6. ^ "Why I love Jon Snow", Sarah Dempster, Guardian.co.uk, May 17, 2007; retrieved June 13, 2010
  7. ^ http://www.channel4.com/programmes/sri-lankas-killing-fields/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1
  8. ^ a b "Jon Snow Exclusive Interview". National Union of Students. http://www.nus.org.uk/en/student-life/student-lifestyle/Jon-Snow-Exclusive-Interview/. Retrieved 2011-01-13. 
  9. ^ Nancy Banks-Smith (17 June 2002). "The hair apparent". London: The Guardian. http://arts.guardian.co.uk/critic/feature/0,1169,1161366,00.html. Retrieved 2011-01-13. 
  10. ^ Desert Island Discs interview, time:0:29:25, BBC Radio 4, 30 January 2011
  11. ^ Mark Hollingsworth; Richard Norton-Taylor (1988). "MI5 and the BBC – Stamping the 'Christmas Tree' files". Blacklist: The Inside Story of Political Vetting. London: Hogarth Press. p. 104. ISBN 0701208112). http://bilderberg.org/mi5bbc.htm. 
  12. ^ Colin Wills (13 December 1998). "Interview: Jon Snow: I survived wars, Gadaffi and camel for lunch". Sunday Mirror. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_19981213/ai_n14482319. Retrieved 2011-01-14. 
  13. ^ Ed Vulliamy (25 March 1998). "Anthrax follies; 'Planted' intelligence is a war correspondent's nightmare". The Guardian. http://cryptome.info/mi6-disinfo.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-14. 
  14. ^ "Channel 4 News at 25: Jon Snow". Channel 4 News. 31 October 2007. http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/domestic_politics/channel+4+news+at+25+jon+snow/975252. Retrieved 2 December 2009. 
  15. ^ Jon Snow Rails Against 'Poppy Fascism'
  16. ^ Channel 4 - News - Snowmail: Prince Harry in Afghanistan
  17. ^ Barrow, Becky (2011-02-09). "the Daily Mail". London. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=522552&in_page_id=1770&ct=5. [dead link]
  18. ^ IMG.dailymail.co.uk
  19. ^ Kay, Richard (2010-06-23). "And finally, Jon Snow weds at 62 (and his new bride is just 35)". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1288759/And-finally-Jon-Snow-weds-62.html. 
  20. ^ "Fine words, now let's see some substance" (html). Times Educational Supplement. http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=69752. Retrieved 30/11/2011. 
  21. ^ "Recently Retired Tate Trustees". Tate Gallery. http://www.tate.org.uk/about/governancefunding/boardoftrustees/trusteesretired.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-14. 
  22. ^ "Minutes of the Board of Trustees - March 2008". National Gallery. http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/about-us/organisation/board-of-trustees/minutes-of-the-board/march-2008. Retrieved 2011-01-14. 
  23. ^ "Jon Snow - Doctor of the University (HonDUniv)". Oxford Brookes University. http://www.brookes.ac.uk/about/honorary/profiles/jon-snow. Retrieved 2011-01-13. 
  24. ^ "Undergraduate Courses - Film & Media Studies". University of Stirling. Archived from the original on 2005-10-25. http://web.archive.org/web/20051025134747/http://www.external.stir.ac.uk/undergrad/course_info/courses_ug/f_m_studies.php. 
  25. ^ "RIBA announces 16 Honorary Fellowships". 29 September 2005. http://www.riba.org/go/RIBA/News/Press_5147.html. 
  26. ^ "Jon Snow new CTC President". Cyclists' Touring Club. 2006-09-25. http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4473. Retrieved 2006-10-01. 
  27. ^ "Reprieve Update". Reprieve. December 2007. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/static/downloads/newletter-nov07-6.pdf. Retrieved 2011-01-13. 
  28. ^ "Our People". African Prisons Project. http://www.africanprisons.org/about/people/. Retrieved 2011-03-25. 
  29. ^ "About Us". Media Legal Defence Initiative. http://www.mediadefence.org/about.html. Retrieved 2011-01-15. 
  30. ^ "Patrons and high-profile supporters". Trees for Cities. http://treesforcities.org/page.php?id=51. Retrieved 2011-01-13. 
  31. ^ "Healthtalkonline". Healthtalkonline main website. http://www.healthtalkonline.org. 
  32. ^ "Youthhealthtalk". Youthhealthtalk main website. http://www.youthhealthtalk.org. 
  33. ^ "Healthtalkonline About Us". Healthtalkonline main website. http://www.healthtalkonline.org/Overview/ThePeople. 
  34. ^ Snow, Jon (2004). Shooting History. London: Harper Perennial. 

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Jeremy Paxman		 RTS: Television Journalism
Presenter of the Year
2003		 Succeeded by
John Stapleton
Preceded by
Jeremy Paxman		 RTS: Television Journalism
Presenter of the Year
2009		 Succeeded by
Julie Etchingham
Preceded by
Julie Etchingham		 RTS: Television Journalism
Presenter of the Year
2011		 Succeeded by
Anna Botting
Longford Lecturers (2002–present)

2002 Cherie Booth · 2003 John Sentamu · 2004 Desmond Tutu · 2005 Brenda Hale · 2006 Clive Stafford Smith · 2007 Mary McAleese · 2008 Debate on prisons · 2009 Hugh Orde · 2010 Martha Lane Fox · 2011 Jon Snow
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jon_Snow&oldid=482623084"
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