Jump to content

Ian Mayes

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ian Mayesis a Britishjournalistandeditor.He was the first "readers' editor"– a title he invented for the newspaper ombudsman role[1]— ofThe Guardian,from November 1997 to March 2007,[2][3]and was president of the internationalOrganization of News Ombudsmenfrom May 2005 to May 2007,[2][4]serving as a board member since May 2002[5]after joining in April 2001.[6]

Background

[edit]

Ian Mayes' career as a journalist spans six decades and includes many years as features editor of theNorthampton Chronicle and Echo,[7]before he joinedBBC RadioNews inBroadcasting House(1979–87), then became assistant features editor of the short-livedLondon Daily News.[8]

Mayes began writing forThe Guardianas a freelance in 1962, his first piece being a story on the features page (then edited byBrian Redhead) about the return ofLaurie Leeto the village ofSladinGloucestershire,whereCider with Rosiewas set.[9]It was towards the end of 1988[8]that Mayes joined the staff of the newspaper; his first ten years included launchingThe Guardian Weekendmagazine and the dailyG2section with former editorAlan Rusbridger,and time served as deputy features editor, arts editor and obituaries editor.

From November 1997 to March 2007, Mayes wasThe Guardian'sReaders' Editor– a title he invented for the newspaper ombudsman role[1]to suggest a bridge between readers and journalists[10]— the first such appointment of a resident independent ombudsman in the UK.[2][3]Other British newspapers, includingThe Observer,The Independent on Sundayand theDaily Mirror,quickly followed suit in appointing readers' editors, although Mayes was the only one to do the job full-time.[11]TheGuardiansystem was also closely replicated on newspapers such asPolitikenin Denmark andThe Hinduin India.[10]

Through an influential weekly column called "Open Door",[12]Mayes dealt with corrections and clarifications (14,000 in his decade in the post),[13]as well as conducting a debate on the ethics of journalism.[14][10]Selections from the columns were collected in four books:Corrections and Clarifications(2000),Corrections and Clarifications 2002(2002),Only Correct: The Best of Corrections and Clarifications(2005) andJournalism Right and Wrong: Ethical and Other Issues Raised by Readers in the Guardian's Open Door Column.A translated selection of the columns was produced byMoscow State Universityunder the titleRabota nad oshibkami(Work on mistakes).[10]

He was president of the internationalOrganization of News Ombudsmen(ONO) from May 2005 to May 2007,[2][4]serving as a board member since May 2002[15]after joining in April 2001.[6]He has lectured and taken part in seminars on the function of ombudsmen in the media nationally and internationally (including in the US, Russia, Scandinavia, and Slovenia),[8]inspiring newspapers in other parts of the world to create their own readers' editors; typically,The Hinduhas referenced "the exemplary practice and experience ofThe Guardian,whose pioneering RE, Ian Mayes, had set the bar high. "[16]He is credited with the discovery of the "apostrofly", "an insect which lands at random on the printed page depositing anapostrophewherever it alights ".[17][18]His last column as Readers' Editor appeared on 2 April 2007,[3]since when he has been an associate editor of theGuardian.[19]

He has been honoured by the creation of "The Ian Mayes Award for Writing Wrongs" in 2008.[20][21]

Mayes has been researching and writing over the past decade the third volume of the official history ofThe Guardian,[22][3][23]beginning in 1986, his aim being to "humanise the decisions that have shaped theGuardianand its editorial line ".[9]

Hazlitt Society

[edit]

Mayes was instrumental in the project to restoreWilliam Hazlitt's grave,[24]after visiting the original neglected gravestone inSt Anne's Churchyardearly in 2001.[25][26]The restored grave was unveiled byMichael Footon the 225th anniversary of Hazlitt's birth, 10 April 2003.[27][28]Mayes was closely involved with the subsequent formation of the Hazlitt Society,[29]of which he was inaugural Chairman.[30]

Works

[edit]

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Samuel De Wilde, c.1751-1832: Theatre in Georgian and Regency London: George James De Wilde, 1804-1871, The life and times of Victorian Northampton: An exhibition at Northampton Central Art Gallery, 4 September to 2 October, 1971(Northampton Museums and Art Gallery,1971).
  • Corrections and Clarifications(Fourth Estate,2000),ISBN978-1-84115-608-8,and (Guardian Books,2000),ISBN978-1-84115-603-3
  • Corrections and Clarifications 2002(Atlantic Books,2002),ISBN978-1-84354-173-8
  • Only Correct: The Best of Corrections and Clarifications(Guardian Books, 2005),ISBN978-1-84354-465-4
  • Journalism Right and Wrong: Ethical and Other Issues Raised by Readers in the Guardian's Open Door Column(Guardian Books, February 2007),ISBN978-0-00-719667-8

Selected articles

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ab"Democracy, media and (cyber) ombudsmen",Organization of News Ombudsmen (ONO), 21 September 2010.
  2. ^abcdIan Mayes,"Open Door: The readers' editor on... his last annual report before handing over",The Guardian,6 November 2006.
  3. ^abcdIan Mayes,"Open Door: The ex-readers' editor on... moving into Guardian history, without complaint",The Guardian,2 April 2007.
  4. ^abONO's MembersArchived9 October 2009 at theWayback MachineOrganization of News Ombudsmen
  5. ^Ian Mayes,"Open Door: Word abroad",The Guardian,11 May 2002.
  6. ^abIan Mayes,"Open Door: Ono? Oh, yes",The Guardian,27 April 2001.
  7. ^Paul Linford,"National newsman's memories of ex-regional daily",Hold the Front Page,25 March 2013.
  8. ^abc"Annex: A statement by Ian Mayes, Readers' Editor",Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport, parliament.co.uk.
  9. ^abChris Elliott,"'I wanted to take you inside the paper' – a new history of the Guardian ",The Guardian(Members area), 10 April 2017.
  10. ^abcdIan Mayes,"'Why should newspapers not be accountable?' ",Open Door,The Guardian,22 October 2017.
  11. ^Ian Mayes,"Trust me — I’m an ombudsman"[permanent dead link],British Journalism Review,Archive.
  12. ^David Nolan,"Public editors, ‘media governance’ and journalistic practice",School of Culture and Communication University of Melbourne, p. 7.
  13. ^"Guardian readers' editor Ian Mayes talks to PG",Press Gazette,5 January 2007.
  14. ^"Newspapers and accountability",Department of Journalism Studies, The University of Sheffield, 30 November 2006.
  15. ^Ian Mayes,"Open door: Word abroad",The Guardian,11 May 2002.
  16. ^N. Ram,"Holding the newspaper to account",The Hindu,29 February 2016.
  17. ^Ian Mayes,"Open door: It's in its rightful place",The Guardian,30 September 2002.
  18. ^Ian Mayes,"The return of the apostrofly",The Guardian,4 December 2004.
  19. ^Ian Mayes pageatThe Guardian.
  20. ^Craig Silverman,"The Year in Errata",Columbia Journalism Review,19 December 2008.
  21. ^Craig Silverman,Crunks 2008: The Year in Media Errors and Corrections,RegretTheError
  22. ^"Writing wrongs: Guardian readers' editor Ian Mayes",Press Gazette,12 January 2007.
  23. ^Chris Elliott,"The paper's relationship with its readers is unlike any other'",Press Reader,8 April 2017.
  24. ^A. C. Grayling,"A memorial for Hazlitt",The Guardian,21 April 2001.
  25. ^Ian Mayes,"Revival time",The Guardian,5 May 2001, via Hazlitt Society.
  26. ^Ian Mayes,"Hazlitt day",The Guardian,30 December 2002, via Hazlitt Society.
  27. ^John Ezard,"William Hazlitt's near-derelict grave restored",The Guardian,11 April 2003; also at"Radical Solution: William Hazlitt's near derelict grave restored",Hazlitt Society.
  28. ^"About the Hazlitt Society".
  29. ^Ian Mayes,"The readers' editor on... an invitation to admirers of William Hazlitt",The Guardian,24 July 2006.
  30. ^Uttara Natarajan, "Editor's Note",The Hazlitt Review,Vol. 10, 2017.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ian_Mayes&oldid=1185653329"