Cathy Newman
{{short description|British journalist (born 1974)}}
{{For|the American memoirist|Catherine Newman}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Cathy Newman
| image = Cathy Newman.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Newman in 2012
| birth_name = Catherine Elizabeth Newman
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1974|07|14|df=y}}
| birth_place = Guildford, Surrey, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education = Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford (BA)
| occupation = Journalist, news presenter
| years_active = 1997–present
| known_for = Channel 4 News
| notable_works =
| spouse = {{marriage|John O'Connell|2001}}
| children = 2
}}
Catherine Elizabeth Newman (born 14 July 1974){{refn|name=Who's Who}}Campbell, Lisa (20 October 2011), [http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/in-depth/the-broadcast-interview/cathy-newman-c4-news/5033494.article "Cathy Newman, C4 News"], Broadcast. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802131905/https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/in-depth/the-broadcast-interview/cathy-newman-c4-news/5033494.article |date=2 August 2018 }}. Newman's date of birth is given as "Bastille Day 1974". is an English journalist, and presenter of Channel 4 News. She began her career as a newspaper journalist, and had spells at Media Week, The Independent, the Financial Times and The Washington Post. She has worked on Channel 4 News since 2006, initially as a correspondent and, since 2011, as a presenter. Newman also presents a programme on Times Radio.
In 2018, she released Bloody Brilliant Women: The Pioneers, Revolutionaries and Geniuses Your History Teacher Forgot to Mention,{{Cite news |last=Parkinson |first=Hannah Jane |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/22/bloody-brilliant-women-cathy-newman-review |title=Bloody Brilliant Women by Cathy Newman review – the history your teacher forgot to mention |date=2018-10-22 |work=The Observer |access-date=2020-03-05 |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213052617/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/22/bloody-brilliant-women-cathy-newman-review |archive-date=13 December 2019 |url-status=live}} a book detailing the lives of women in Britain in the 20th and 21st centuries. In 2020, she released It Takes Two: A History of the Couples Who Dared to be Different, a book about how great pairs, from rivals to romantic couples, have made history.
Early life and education
Born in Guildford, Surrey, Newman is the younger daughter of David Newman and Julia Worsdall, both chemistry teachers, and has one sister.{{cite web |title=Newman, Cathy |date=2018 |work=WHO'S WHO and WHO WAS WHO |publisher=A&C Black |url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-249479 |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U249479 |isbn=978-0-19-954088-4 |access-date=17 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404171441/http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-249479 |archive-date=4 April 2019 |url-status=live}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/mar/19/cathy-newman-the-internet-is-being-written-by-men-with-an-agenda |title=Cathy Newman: 'The internet is being written by men with an agenda' |last=Iqbal |first=Nosheen |date=19 March 2018 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=19 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518111611/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/mar/19/cathy-newman-the-internet-is-being-written-by-men-with-an-agenda |archive-date=18 May 2019 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=1iwuu%2FPZf8sUaOzKbOgrCA&scan=1 |title=Index entry |access-date=17 January 2018 |work=FreeBMD |publisher=ONS}} She attended a fee-paying girls school in Guildford until the age of 16,{{Cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/pervy-peers-twitter-trolls-and-tough-questions-cathy-newman-on-tackling-the-big-beasts-of-westminster-dkn2rqpjw |title=Pervy peers, Twitter trolls and tough questions — Cathy Newman on tackling the big beasts of Westminster |access-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629015204/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/times2/pervy-peers-twitter-trolls-and-tough-questions-cathy-newman-on-tackling-the-big-beasts-of-westminster-dkn2rqpjw |archive-date=29 June 2020 |url-status=live |last1=Turner |first1=Janice |newspaper=The Times |date=29 June 2020}} when she joined Charterhouse, where her father taught, as one of a few girls admitted to the school's sixth form. She has said that she stayed silent for years about the sexual harassment and other humiliation she experienced from fellow pupils.{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Quinn |access-date=2018-09-22 |title=Cathy Newman says she was sexually harassed at elite school |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/02/cathy-newman-says-she-was-sexually-harassed-at-elite-private-school-charterhouse |date=2 September 2018 |newspaper=The Guardian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108214931/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/02/cathy-newman-says-she-was-sexually-harassed-at-elite-private-school-charterhouse |archive-date=8 January 2019 |url-status=live}} She was on the path to a career as a violinist or in the legal profession before changing her plans as a result of seeing BBC journalist Kate Adie on television.{{cite news |last=Burrell |first=Ian |title=Channel 4 newsreader Cathy Newman doesn't just read the news – she makes it |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/channel-4-newsreader-cathy-newman-doesnt-just-read-the-news-she-makes-it-9386816.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=18 May 2014 |access-date=4 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704230105/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/channel-4-newsreader-cathy-newman-doesnt-just-read-the-news-she-makes-it-9386816.html |archive-date=4 July 2018 |url-status=live}} Newman read English at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford,[http://www.lmh.ox.ac.uk/Alumni/Prominent-alumni.aspx "Prominent LMH alumni"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512181442/http://www.lmh.ox.ac.uk/Alumni/Prominent-alumni.aspx |date=12 May 2015 }} Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University website where she graduated with first-class honours.
Career
=Early career=
Following university, Newman briefly worked on The Guardian{{'}}s Books section, then at Media Week (as a trainee) and The Independent (as media business correspondent) before joining the Financial Times (FT) at the age of 23.{{cite web |url=http://www.knightayton.co.uk/female-presenters/cathy-newman |title=Cathy Newman – News and Current Affairs |publisher=Knight Ayton Management |access-date=19 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205205059/http://knightayton.co.uk/female-presenters/cathy-newman |archive-date=5 February 2016 |url-status=dead}} Her older colleague Alice Rawsthorn acted as a mentor at the FT,Morris, Sophie (28 August 2006), [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/my-mentor-cathy-newman-on-alice-rawsthorn-413620.html "My Mentor: Cathy Newman On Alice Rawsthorn"], The Independent. {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120802115915/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/my-mentor-cathy-newman-on-alice-rawsthorn-413620.html |date=2 August 2012 }}. where Newman worked as a media and then (for three years) political correspondent. While Newman was working at the FT, David Yelland, the editor of The Sun, offered her a slot called "Better than Lex" (named after Lex, a column in the Financial Times). She seriously considered the offer, but later declined; the experience led to further opportunities in political journalism. Newman began a television career in 2000. She gained a Laurence Stern fellowship to work at The Washington Post for four months. During her period in the US, she followed the 2000 Presidential campaign of Green Party candidate Ralph Nader.
=''Channel 4 News''=
Newman joined Channel 4 News in January 2006 as a political correspondent and deputy to political editor Gary Gibbon.[http://www.channel4.com/news/cathy-newman "Cathy Newman – Presenter"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225011037/http://www.channel4.com/news/cathy-newman |date=25 February 2013 }}, Channel 4 News website She asked Peter Mandelson at the Brighton Labour Party conference in 2009, whether he had used the "c" word in a conversation with Rebekah Brooks, the CEO of News International.{{cite news |title=Did Mandelson use the 'chump' word? |url=http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/domestic_politics/did+mandelson+use+the+aposchumpapos+word/3366597.html |publisher=Channel 4 News |date=30 September 2015 |access-date=14 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924061607/http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/domestic_politics/did+mandelson+use+the+aposchumpapos+word/3366597.html |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=live}}
From 2013 to 2015, Newman's pursuit of a story about the allegations of improper conduct levelled at Lord Rennard, once a leading figure in the Liberal Democrats, included her participation in an LBC local London radio phone-in on 27 February 2013 to quiz deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg on the issue.{{cite news |last=Elgot |first=Jessica |title=Lord Rennard Allegations: Channel 4 Cathy Newman Calls Clegg Phone-In |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/02/27/lord-rennard-allegations-channel-4-cathy-newman-_n_2772425.html |newspaper=The Huffington Post |date=27 February 2013 |access-date=15 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309122859/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/02/27/lord-rennard-allegations-channel-4-cathy-newman-_n_2772425.html |archive-date=9 March 2016 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Newman |first=Cathy |title=Lord Rennard row: Nick Clegg called to account by Cathy Newman |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/feb/27/lord-rennard-nick-clegg-cathy-newman |newspaper=The Guardian |date=27 February 2013 |access-date=15 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007030506/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/feb/27/lord-rennard-nick-clegg-cathy-newman |archive-date=7 October 2015 |url-status=live}} Newman has commented that sexism was endemic at Westminster during her period as a lobby correspondent there, but has also said that the newspaper industry is even worse.{{cite news |last=O'Carroll |first=Lisa |title=Cathy Newman claims to have been propositioned at political conference |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/feb/26/cathy-newman-propositioned-national-newspaper-editor |newspaper=The Guardian |date=26 February 2013|access-date=15 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151011170730/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/feb/26/cathy-newman-propositioned-national-newspaper-editor |archive-date=11 October 2015 |url-status=live}} She told Natasha Lunn in an interview for Red magazine in 2016: "As a woman in the media I feel a duty to make sure we report those issues. I've always wanted to right injustices; I suppose what's changed is I've now got a keener sense of how journalists can hold power to account".{{cite news |last=Lunn |first=Natasha |url=http://www.redonline.co.uk/red-women/interviews/an-interview-with-channel-4-news-presenter-cathy-newman |title=An Interview With News Presenter Cathy Newman |newspaper=Red |date=30 November 2016 |access-date=30 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201014903/http://www.redonline.co.uk/red-women/interviews/an-interview-with-channel-4-news-presenter-cathy-newman |archive-date=1 December 2016 |url-status=live}} The victim of online sexism for her work, Newman gave her support for "public humiliation" of trolls in 2013: "the best way to tackle these people is to publicly humiliate them".{{cite news |last=Mesure |first=Susie |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/channel-4-newsreader-cathy-newman-says-public-humiliation-is-the-answer-for-sexist-remarks-8721200.html |title=Channel 4 newsreader Cathy Newman says public humiliation is the answer for sexist remarks |date=19 July 2013 |newspaper=The Independent |access-date=21 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121184347/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/channel-4-newsreader-cathy-newman-says-public-humiliation-is-the-answer-for-sexist-remarks-8721200.html |archive-date=21 January 2018 |url-status=live}}
A regular commentator on politics in other media outlets, Newman has appeared as a guest panellist on Have I Got News for You{{cite web |title=Have I Got News For You Series 46 Episode 1 of 11 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03c56cx |publisher=BBC |access-date=15 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220042210/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03c56cx |archive-date=20 February 2014 |url-status=live}} and blogs for The Daily Telegraph[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/cathy-newman/ "Cathy Newman"], contributor page, telegraph.co.uk. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216220259/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/cathy-newman/ |date=16 February 2018 }}. and Economia magazine.[http://economia.icaew.com/opinion/cathy-newman "Cathy Newman"], Economia contributor page. {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130411032728/http://economia.icaew.com/opinion/cathy-newman |date=11 April 2013 }}.
Newman was long-listed for the Orwell Prize (Journalism) in 2010[http://theorwellprize.co.uk/longlists/cathy-newman/ "Cathy Newman – Political correspondent"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518093137/http://theorwellprize.co.uk/longlists/cathy-newman/ |date=18 May 2015 }}, The Orwell Prize, Journalism Prize, 2010. and again in 2011 for the Blog Prize.[http://theorwellprize.co.uk/longlists/cathy-newman-2/ "Cathy Newman – The FactCheck Blog – Channel 4 News"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411050600/http://theorwellprize.co.uk/longlists/cathy-newman-2/ |date=11 April 2012 }}, The Orwell Prize, Blog Prize, 2011. She was announced as one of the judges for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction in 2015.{{cite news |title=Baileys women's prize for fiction shortlists debut alongside star names|first=Alison|last=Flood |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/13/baileys-womens-prize-for-fiction-shortlists-debut-alongside-star-names |date=13 April 2015|access-date=10 May 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518085749/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/13/baileys-womens-prize-for-fiction-shortlists-debut-alongside-star-names |archive-date=18 May 2015 |url-status=live}}
In February 2015, Newman tweeted that she was "ushered onto the street" for being female when she went to the South London Islamic Centre for a "Visit My Mosque" programme.[http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/02/01/visit-my-mosque-open-day-_n_6589114.html "Channel 4's Cathy Newman 'Ushered Out' Of London Mosque During Open Day"], The Huffington Post, 1 February 2015. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204135738/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/02/01/visit-my-mosque-open-day-_n_6589114.html |date=4 February 2015 }}. The mosque started receiving violent threats from the public as the story spread. A spokesperson for the Hyderi Islamic Centre had said Newman had simply visited the wrong address,{{cite news |last=Johnston |first=Ian |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/mix-up-not-sexism-as-channel-4-presenter-cathy-newman-is-turned-away-from-a-mosque-on-visit-my-10016835.html |title='Mix-up, not sexism' as Channel 4 presenter Cathy Newman is turned away from a mosque on 'Visit My Mosque Day' |newspaper=The Independent |date=2 February 2015 |access-date=26 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201212603/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/mix-up-not-sexism-as-channel-4-presenter-cathy-newman-is-turned-away-from-a-mosque-on-visit-my-10016835.html |archive-date=1 February 2016 |url-status=live}} and CCTV footage showed Newman had left the building of her own accord.{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/02/05/cathy-newman-mosque_n_6620026.html |date=6 February 2015 |website=The Huffington Post (UK) |title=Channel 4's Cathy Newman Apologises After CCTV Footage Emerges Of Mosque Incident |first=Jessica |last=Elgot|access-date=12 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228030404/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/02/05/cathy-newman-mosque_n_6620026.html |archive-date=28 February 2018 |url-status=live}} Newman and Channel 4 News editor Ben de Pear later apologised, acknowledging that Newman had mistakenly visited the wrong building.{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-31443076 |title=Channel 4 presenter Cathy Newman sorry over mosque claims |date=12 February 2015 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=5 March 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150212231019/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-31443076 |archive-date=12 February 2015 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/feb/06/channel-4-cathy-newman-apologises-mosque |title=Channel 4's Cathy Newman apologises for 'misunderstanding' over mosque |first=Tara|last= Conlan|date=6 February 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=5 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306022928/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/feb/06/channel-4-cathy-newman-apologises-mosque |archive-date=6 March 2018 |url-status=live}}
On 8 September 2022, she interrupted Channel 4's scheduled programme to announce the death of Queen Elizabeth II, following an announcement from Buckingham Palace earlier in the day.{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/u-k-tv-schedules-queens-death-1235365931/|title=U.K. TV Schedules Thrown Into Disarray Following Death of Queen Elizabeth II|first=K.J. |last=Yossman|website=Variety|date=9 September 2022|access-date=3 December 2022}}
==Jordan Peterson interview==
On 16 January 2018, Newman interviewed Canadian psychologist and author Jordan Peterson. The interview covered topics such as gender equality, including the gender pay gap, freedom of speech, and transgender rights.{{cite news |last1=Khan |first1=Shehab |last2=Sharman |first2=Jon |last3=Pasha-Robinson |first3=Lucy |title=Cathy Newman: Channel 4 calls in security experts following 'vicious abuse' over Jordan Peterson interview |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/jordan-peterson-cathy-newman-interview-channel-4-news-security-consultant-university-of-toronto-a8169401.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=20 January 2018 |access-date=22 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311191312/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/jordan-peterson-cathy-newman-interview-channel-4-news-security-consultant-university-of-toronto-a8169401.html |archive-date=11 March 2018 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Likhodi |first=Lidia |url=https://thevarsity.ca/2018/01/29/british-journalist-subject-to-online-threats-following-interview-with-jordan-peterson/ |title=British journalist subject to online threats following interview with Jordan Peterson |date=29 January 2018 |work=The Varsity |access-date=2 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202135337/https://thevarsity.ca/2018/01/29/british-journalist-subject-to-online-threats-following-interview-with-jordan-peterson/ |archive-date=2 February 2018 |url-status=live}} Short clips, gifs and memes of the fiery back-and-forth subsequently went viral, especially Newman's repeated use of the line "So you're saying..." —an utterance made 35 times during the 29-minute interview.{{Cite journal |last=Pennock-Speck |first=Barry |date=2021-07-08 |title='So you're saying': the interrogation of Jordan Peterson |url=https://polipapers.upv.es/index.php/rdlyla/article/view/14618 |journal=Revista de Lingüística y Lenguas Aplicadas |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=161 |doi=10.4995/rlyla.2021.14618 |s2cid=237797379 |issn=1886-6298|doi-access=free |hdl=10251/169086 |hdl-access=free }}
Many YouTube commenters were critical of Newman, a large number of them saying she had "a preconceived and misplaced grasp of Peterson's views", wrote Jamie Doward of The Guardian.{{cite news |title=Security for British TV personality bolstered after interview with Jordan Peterson |date=2 January 2018 |work=Toronto Star |agency=Canadian Press |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2018/01/20/security-for-british-tv-personality-bolstered-after-interview-with-jordan-peterson.html |access-date=19 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320043641/https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2018/01/20/security-for-british-tv-personality-bolstered-after-interview-with-jordan-peterson.html |archive-date=20 March 2018 |url-status=live}} New York Times columnist David Brooks criticized Newman for not listening to Peterson and for "distort[ing], simplif[ying] and restat[ing] his views to make them appear offensive and cartoonish".{{cite news |last1=Brooks |first1=David |title=The Jordan Peterson Moment |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/opinion/jordan-peterson-moment.html |website=The New York Times |date=26 January 2018 |access-date=18 May 2018 |ref=Brooks |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130102616/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/opinion/jordan-peterson-moment.html |archive-date=30 January 2018 |url-status=live}}
Channel 4 News editor Ben de Pear said that the station called in security specialists in response to social media abuse and threats directed against her.{{cite news |last1=Harley |first1=Nicola |title=Channel 4 News calls in security experts after trolls make 'vicious' threats to presenter Cathy Newman |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/20/channel-4-news-calls-security-experts-trolls-make-vicious-threats/ |work=The Telegraph |date=20 January 2018 |access-date=6 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307062741/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/20/channel-4-news-calls-security-experts-trolls-make-vicious-threats/ |archive-date=7 March 2018 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Ruddick |first=Graham |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jan/19/channel-4-calls-in-security-experts-after-cathy-newman-suffers-online-abuse |title=Channel 4 calls in security experts after Cathy Newman suffers online abuse |newspaper=The Guardian |date=19 January 2018 |access-date=19 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119205304/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jan/19/channel-4-calls-in-security-experts-after-cathy-newman-suffers-online-abuse |archive-date=19 January 2018 |url-status=live}} Newman later said that "there were literally thousands of abusive tweets – it was a semi-organised campaign. It ranged from the usual 'cunt, bitch, dumb blonde' to 'I'm going to find out where you live and execute you'."{{refn|name=Iqbal}}
On Twitter, Peterson said "There is no doubt that Cathy has been subjected to a withering barrage of criticism online. One of the things I’ve been trying to do is to try to imagine what I’d do if I found myself in her situation and how I would react to it and understand how it was happening. But they’ve provided no evidence that the criticisms constituted threats. There are some nasty cracks [sic] online but the idea that this is somehow reflective of a fundamental misogyny and that’s what’s driving this is ridiculous.",{{cite news |last=Doward |first=Jamie |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/21/no-excuse-for-online-abuse-says-professor-in-tv-misogyny-row |title='Back off', controversial professor urges critics of C4 interviewer |date=21 January 2018 |work=The Observer |access-date=21 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121012603/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/21/no-excuse-for-online-abuse-says-professor-in-tv-misogyny-row |archive-date=21 January 2018 |url-status=live}} although Peterson called for his supporters to be more civil.{{cite news |last=Heller |first=Karen |date=2 May 2018 |title=Jordan Peterson is on a crusade to toughen up young men. It's landed him on our cultural divide |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/jordan-peterson-is-on-a-crusade-to-toughen-up-young-men-its-landed-him-on-our-cultural-divide/2018/05/02/c5bafe48-31d6-11e8-94fa-32d48460b955_story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809215502/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/jordan-peterson-is-on-a-crusade-to-toughen-up-young-men-its-landed-him-on-our-cultural-divide/2018/05/02/c5bafe48-31d6-11e8-94fa-32d48460b955_story.html |archive-date=9 August 2018}} Following the interview, Newman's Wikipedia article was "rapidly edited back and forth" for several weeks. Newman said that women generally are misrepresented in their Wikipedia biographies because the "internet is being written by men with an agenda."
=Writing=
Newman's book, Bloody Brilliant Women, concerning significant, but unheralded, 20th-century women,{{cite news |last=Saul |first=Hreather |url=https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/women/17-bloody-brilliant-women-and-two-men-share-their-proudest-moments-for-international-womens-day/ |title=17 bloody brilliant women (and two men) share their proudest moments for International Women's Day |date=8 March 2018 |work=i |access-date=19 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319213934/https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/women/17-bloody-brilliant-women-and-two-men-share-their-proudest-moments-for-international-womens-day/ |archive-date=19 March 2018 |url-status=live}} was published in 2018.{{cite news |last1=Freeman |first1=Laura |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/review-bloody-brilliant-women-by-cathy-newman-hurrah-for-the-hyenas-in-petticoats-klp2tclmd |title=Review: Bloody Brilliant Women by Cathy Newman — hurrah for the 'hyenas in petticoats' |date=6 October 2018 |work=The Times |location=London |access-date=24 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624123500/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/review-bloody-brilliant-women-by-cathy-newman-hurrah-for-the-hyenas-in-petticoats-klp2tclmd |archive-date=24 June 2019 |url-status=live}} The book presents case studies of both prominent and lesser known women throughout British history, finding parallels between their experiences and those of contemporary women.{{cite news |last=Parkinson |first=Hannah Jane |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/22/bloody-brilliant-women-cathy-newman-review |title=Bloody Brilliant Women by Cathy Newman review – the history your teacher forgot to mention |date=22 October 2018 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=24 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624123501/https://amp.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/22/bloody-brilliant-women-cathy-newman-review |archive-date=24 June 2019 |url-status=live}} In 2019, Humanists UK awarded Newman with its Rosalind Franklin Medal in recognition of the book and her other investigative journalism work.{{cite news|title=Cathy Newman delivers Rosalind Franklin Lecture on women who changed the course of history|date=12 March 2019|accessdate=26 February 2025|work=Humanists UK|url=https://humanists.uk/2019/03/12/cathy-newman-delivers-rosalind-franklin-lecture-on-women-who-changed-the-course-of-history/}}
= Times Radio =
In early 2020, Newman was announced by forthcoming radio station Times Radio as the presenter of their Friday drive time programme. She continues to present Channel 4 News while being a Times Radio presenter.{{Cite news |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/channel-4-news-cathy-newman-times-radio-bbc-radio-4-today-2551514 |title=Channel 4 News' Cathy Newman joins Times Radio — will station challenge BBC Radio 4? |work=inews |last=Sherwin |first=Adam |date=27 April 2020 |access-date=17 May 2020}}
= Conor Burns: "Ambushed with a cake" =
On 25 January 2022, Newman interviewed Conor Burns, minister of state for Northern Ireland, on Channel 4 News about the imminent publication of Sue Gray's report into alleged parties at 10 Downing Street in violation of COVID-19 lockdowns. Burns defended Prime Minister Boris Johnson by insisting that one party to celebrate Johnson's birthday "was not a premeditated, organised party. He was, in a sense, ambushed with a cake".{{Cite web |date=25 January 2022 |title=Channel 4 News |url=https://www.channel4.com/news/boris-johnson-was-ambushed-with-a-cake-says-conservative-mp}} The interview quickly went viral, inspiring thousands of social media memes, and Burns was widely mocked. The food writer Nigella Lawson joked on Twitter that she intended to use the phrase as the title for her next book.{{Cite web |date=26 January 2022 |title=Partygate: The Best Jokes To Come Out Of The Latest 'Ambushed By Cake' Excuse |website=The Huffington Post|first=Kate|last= Nicholson|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/partygate-ambushed-by-cake-boris-johnson-jokes-nigella-lawson_uk_61f1084be4b067cbfa15fb6a}}
= John Smyth QC abuse investigation =
In 2017, Newman led a Channel 4 investigation into John Smyth, barrister and friend of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, revealing Smyth's decades of abuse of boys and young men.{{Cite web |title=John Smyth |url=https://www.channel4.com/news/topic/john-smyth |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=Channel 4 News |language=en-GB}} In response, the Church of England commissioned Keith Makin, a former director of social services, to conduct an official, independent review. Seven years later, in 2024, Newman received a leaked copy of the Makin Report and subsequently interviewed Welby for Channel 4 News.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-13 |title=Archbishop of Canterbury resigns after church abuse scandal |url=https://www.channel4.com/news/archbishop-of-canterbury-resigns-after-church-abuse-scandal |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=Channel 4 News |language=en-GB}} Reacting to pressure from senior Church leaders, Welby quit as Archbishop of Canterbury five days later.
On 13 January 2025, Newman was awarded "Woman of the Year" by the Women in Journalism UK for her investigations into and reports on the John Smyth abuse case which spanned several years.
{{Cite web |title=Women In Journalism UK Award|url=https://x.com/cathynewman/status/1878906405312188812?s=46 |website=Women In Journalism |language=en-GB}} Also in January 2025, Newman revealed that the Bishop of Liverpool, John Perumbalath, had been accused of sexually harassing a female Bishop and sexually assaulting another woman - allegations he denied. He resigned days later.{{Cite web |date=2025-01-29 |title=Exclusive {{!}} Church Abuse Scandal: Bishop accuses bishop of sexual harassment |url=https://www.channel4.com/news/exclusive-church-abuse-scandal-bishop-accuses-bishop-of-sexual-harassment |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Channel 4 News |language=en-GB}}
In March 2025, at the Royal Television Society Journalism Awards, Newman won Network Interview of the Year and Network Television Journalist of the Year.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-04 |title=RTS Television Journalism Awards 2025 |url=https://rts.org.uk/award/rts-television-journalism-awards-2025 |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Royal Television Society |language=en}}
Personal life
In 2001 Newman married writer John O'Connell, whom she met at university. The couple live in south-east London with their two daughters.{{cite news |last=Urwin |first=Rosamund |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/cathy-newman-is-on-a-mission-to-stamp-out-fgm-a3593171.html |title=Cathy Newman is on a mission to stamp out FGM |newspaper=Evening Standard |date=21 July 2017 |access-date=24 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125021525/https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/cathy-newman-is-on-a-mission-to-stamp-out-fgm-a3593171.html |archive-date=25 January 2018 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Worcester |first=Lily |date=2018-03-08 |title=My London: Cathy Newman |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/esmagazine/my-london-cathy-newman-a3782726.html |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}} Newman has written about having a miscarriage, and about deciding to have an abortion, after discovering 13 weeks into her pregnancy that the foetus had a rare condition with a high mortality rate.{{cite news |last=Newman |first=Cathy |date=2 October 2012 |title=Cathy Newman: how the agony of my abortion made me see both sides |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-politics/9578905/Cathy-Newman-how-the-agony-of-my-abortion-made-me-see-both-sides.html |access-date=10 May 2015 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921041119/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-politics/9578905/Cathy-Newman-how-the-agony-of-my-abortion-made-me-see-both-sides.html |archive-date=21 September 2018 |url-status=live}}
Publications
- {{cite book |last= |first= |title=Bloody Brilliant Women |date=2018 |publisher=William Collins |isbn=978-0-00-824171-1}}
- It Takes Two. William Collins, 2020. ISBN 978-0-00-836333-8.
- The Ladder. William Collins, 2024. {{ISBN|978-0-00-856746-0}}
References
{{Reflist|3}}
External links
{{wikiquote}}
- {{IMDb name|id=2545814|name=Cathy Newman}}
- [https://twitter.com/cathynewman Cathy Newman on Twitter]
- [http://www.channel4.com/news/cathy-newman Cathy Newman's profile] and archive on the Channel 4 News web site
- {{YouTube|aMcjxSThD54|Newman's interview of Jordan Peterson for Channel 4 News}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newman, Cathy}}
Category:20th-century British journalists
Category:20th-century English women writers
Category:20th-century English writers
Category:21st-century English journalists
Category:21st-century English women writers
Category:Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Category:English television presenters
Category:ITN newsreaders and journalists
Category:Journalists from Guildford
Category:People educated at Charterhouse School
Category:Television presenters from Guildford