Lewis Goodall
{{short description|British journalist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Lewis Goodall
| image = Lewis_Goodall.jpg
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1989|07|01|df=y}}
| birth_place = Birmingham, England
| alma_mater = St John's College, Oxford
| occupation = Journalist, television reporter, author
| spouse = {{marriage|Tone Langengen|2023}}
}}
Lewis Goodall (born 1 July 1989) is a British journalist, broadcaster and author. He worked as a researcher for Granada Studios before becoming a political correspondent for Sky News. He later became policy editor of the BBC's flagship current affairs programme Newsnight.
In 2022, frustrated with their editorial policy, he quit the BBC alongside colleagues Emily Maitlis (Newsnight) and Jon Sopel (Politics Show) to launch The News Agents podcast.Waterson, Jim. "[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jun/20/lewis-goodall-joins-exodus-from-bbc-amid-impartiality-drive Lewis Goodall joins exodus from BBC amid impartiality drive]". The Guardian, 20 June 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2024 His first book Left for Dead?: The Strange Death and Rebirth of the Labour Party was published in September 2018.
Early life
Goodall was born on 1 July 1989.{{cite tweet |number=1145818888858415105 |title=I celebrated my 30th birthday in the only way appropriate: I went to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. |first=Lewis |last=Goodall |user=lewis_goodall |date=1 July 2019 |access-date=13 January 2021}} He was raised on a council estate in Longbridge; he attended Turves Green Boys' School and completed his A Levels at Cadbury Sixth Form College. His mother gave birth to him at the age of 17. His father was a welder at the nearby Rover Company factory.{{Citation |title=49 {{!}} Lewis Goodall & Megan Goodall {{!}} Relatively |date=2022-06-28 |url=https://shows.acast.com/relatively/episodes/49-lewis-goodall-megan-goodal |access-date=2024-03-08}} He studied at St John's College, Oxford, graduating in 2010 with a degree in history and politics.{{Cite web|url=http://greeneheaton.co.uk/clients/lewis-goodall/|title=Lewis Goodall|website=greeneheaton.co.uk|access-date=20 August 2020}}
While at Oxford, he spent time in the United States as an intern to the Democrat House Representative Diana DeGette.{{Cite web |title=Book Lewis Goodall - Contact speaker agent |url=https://www.jla.co.uk/conference-speakers/lewis-goodall |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=JLA |language=en-US}} He later became an Entente Cordiale scholar, spending time learning French in Paris{{Cite web |title=Author |url=https://www.harpercollins.ca/author/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=HarperCollins Canada |language=en-US}} and Mandarin Chinese at Beijing Normal University.{{Cite web |title=Mary Greenham NewsPresenters - Lewis Goodall Agent |url=https://www.marygreenham.co.uk/presenters/lewis-goodall |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.marygreenham.co.uk}} He was the first in his family to go to university.{{cite web |title=The schools scandal |date=19 August 2020 |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/education/2020/08/schools-scandal |work=New Statesman |last=Goodall |first=Lewis |access-date=21 June 2022}} Goodall was a volunteer for a member of the Labour Party whilst at school.{{cite news |url=https://www.theweek.co.uk/107867/bbc-newsnight-editor-lewis-goodall-accused-bias-new-statesman-article |title=BBC Newsnight editor accused of 'off the scale' bias after New Statesman cover story |work=The Week UK |last=Evans |first=Joe |date=21 August 2020 |access-date=21 June 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/profile/lewis-goodall |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150424224442/https://www.theguardian.com/profile/lewis-goodall |archive-date=24 April 2015 |title=Lewis Goodall |work=The Guardian |access-date=21 June 2022}}
Career
=Granada and the BBC=
After graduation, Goodall worked for Granada Studios as a question writer for the quiz show University Challenge. He then worked for the centre-left think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research.{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Anita |date=20 August 2020 |title=BBC impartiality row: Newsnight policy editor accused of 'off the scale' bias |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/08/20/bbc-impartiality-row-newsnight-policy-editor-accused-scale-bias/ |access-date=20 August 2020 |work=The Telegraph}} At the IPPR, he was the main researcher for the "Northern Economic Futures Commission" think tank.{{Cite web |date=2012-03-21 |title=If the Chancellor is serious about "rebalancing" the UK economy we need serious investment in regions outside of the greater South East |url=https://blogstest.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/rebalance-economy-budget-2012-goodall/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=British Politics and Policy at LSE}} He began his career in journalism as a producer and reporter at the BBC in 2012, where he was a producer on the Daily Politics. He later become Economics and Business Analyst for BBC News.{{Cite news |date=2013-05-09 |title=UK v rest of G7: How's our driving? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-22462175 |access-date=2024-03-08 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}
In 2014, he joined BBC Newsnight as a political researcher, briefing presenters for major interviews before becoming an occasional reporter for the programme as well as wider BBC output, including Victoria Derbyshire and BBC Radio Four. In 2015, Goodall reported from both the Charlie Hebdo shooting and November 2015 Paris attacks. Goodall conducted the last interview with Labour Party politician Denis Healey before the latter’s death in October 2015.
=Sky News=
Goodall left the BBC in 2016 to join Sky News as a political correspondent. He became known for his coverage of the Brexit crisis and the strife within the Labour Party, and in 2019 was named a MHP Communications '30 under 30' young journalists to watch.{{Cite web |last=Gladdis |first=Keith |date=2023-03-28 |title='Golden age of journalism ahead' says 30ToWatch journalism awards chair John Ryley |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishing-services-content/john-ryley-30towatch-journalism-awards-golden-age/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Press Gazette |language=en-US}} That year, he presented a documentary on the rise of Nigel Farage and the Brexit Party.{{Citation |title=Special report: Farage - A New Populism? | date=24 May 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYvP9C7APG0 |access-date=2024-03-08 |language=en}} He became known for his election and data analysis and became a main presenter on Sky's election programmes in 2017 and 2019. His first book, an analysis of New Labour and Jeremy Corbyn titled Left for Dead?: The Strange Death and Rebirth of the Labour Party was published in 2018.{{cite web |title=Lewis Goodall's Left for Dead? asks if Labour can win again |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2018/09/labour-party-Lewis-Goodall-Left-for-Dead-review |work=New Statesman |last=Maguire |first=Patrick |date=19 September 2018}}{{cite news |last1=Bennett |first1=Asa |title=Left for Dead? review: a rip-roaring history of New Labour's rise and fall |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/left-dead-review-rip-roaring-history-new-labours-rise-fall/ |website=The Telegraph |date=28 September 2018}}
=Return to ''Newsnight''=
He returned to the BBC in January 2020 as Newsnight's policy editor.{{cite web |last=Mayhew |first=Freddy |title=Sky's Lewis Goodall to join BBC Newsnight as policy editor |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/skys-lewis-goodall-to-join-bbc-newsnight-as-policy-editor/ |website=Press Gazette |date=2 September 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Goodall |first1=Lewis |title=Surge in Labour membership amid leadership race |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51245211 |work=BBC News |date=25 January 2020 |access-date=21 June 2022}} He went on to become one of the most prominent faces of the BBC's reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic, especially its impact on schools, care homes and the death rate. In August 2020, he reported extensively on the A-level grading scandal, credited with changing government policy over which grades would be given to students in that year's exams, for which he was nominated for an Orwell Prize in 2021. In 2022, he reported from the western Ukrainian border on the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War and the resultant refugee crisis in eastern Poland.{{Citation |title=On the Polish-Ukrainian border as tens of thousands flee - BBC Newsnight | date=March 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUiI-yaKVzw |access-date=2024-03-08 |language=en}} That year, he presented a Radio Four documentary "What is a Tory?" on the evolution of Conservative political thought.{{Cite web |title=BBC Radio 4 - What's a Tory? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001g362 |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}} Goodall featured in the BBC's election night coverage and was called a "rising star" of the corporation.{{cite news |last1=Waterson |first1=Jim |date=20 June 2022 |title=Lewis Goodall joins exodus from BBC amid impartiality drive |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jun/20/lewis-goodall-joins-exodus-from-bbc-amid-impartiality-drive |access-date=20 June 2022 |work=The Guardian}}
Goodall later stated that the BBC had not protected his editorial freedom from criticism by former Conservative Party communications chief, Robbie Gibb, who was appointed to the BBC board in May 2021 and should not have had direct editorial involvement. Editors had instead warned him to "be careful: Robbie is watching you." This in part led to his decision later to leave the BBC.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/jul/21/bbc-tory-witch-hunt-lewis-goodall-newsnight-journalist |title=BBC failed to defend me during Tory witch-hunt, says Lewis Goodall |last=Thorpe |first=Vanessa |newspaper=The Observer |date=21 July 2024 |access-date=21 July 2024}}
=''The News Agents''=
In June 2022, Goodall announced he was leaving the BBC to join media company Global Media & Entertainment to make a daily podcast (The News Agents with Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel). He stated on Twitter he would be remaining at Newsnight for "a while yet".{{cite tweet |last1=Goodall |first1=Lewis |title=Should say I'm sticking around at Newsnight for a while yet! |number=1538863303157592065 |access-date=21 June 2022 |user=lewis_goodall |date=20 June 2022}} The News Agents was launched on 30 August 2022,{{Cite web|url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2022/08/details-of-emily-maitlis-jon-sopels-new-global-podcast-revealed/|title=Details of Emily Maitlis & Jon Sopel's new Global podcast revealed|work=Radio Today|date=22 August 2022|access-date=22 August 2022}} and was named "Best Daily Podcast" in 2023. He also became presenter of a Friday politics show for LBC. He was named as the sole presenter of the investigative documentary series “News Agents Investigates” in the same year. In spring 2024 he was named as the presenter of LBC's flagship Sunday political show, Sunday with Lewis Goodall. In November 2024 he made a return to Sky, as an election night presenter for their US election coverage.
Goodall writes for the New Statesman and other print and online outlets.{{cite web |title=Writers |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/writers/317609 |website=New Statesman}}
Personal life
He married Tone Langengen, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change's senior climate and energy policy advisor, in August 2023.{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/london-playbook/health-of-the-nation-and-a-postcard-from-barry/|title=Health of the nation — and a postcard from Barry|date=14 August 2023|access-date=2 September 2023|last=Prince|first=Rosa|work=Politico}}{{cite web|url=https://www.institute.global/experts/tone-langengen|title=Tone Langengen|publisher=Tony Blair Institute for Global Change|access-date=2 September 2023}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/lewis-goodall/ Lewis Goodall on LBC]
{{LBC radio}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodall, Lewis}}
Category:Alumni of St John's College, Oxford
Category:BBC newsreaders and journalists
Category:English political journalists
Category:English political writers
Category:Labour Party (UK) people
Category:Writers from Birmingham, West Midlands
Category:Journalists from Birmingham, West Midlands