Steve Turner (journalist)

{{Short description|British journalist and trade union leader}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}

Stephen Gordon Turner (27 July 1935 – 12 May 2016) was a British journalist and trade union leader.England and Wales, Death Index, 2007–2017

Born in Mile End, Turner became a journalist with the Ilford Recorder and the Romford Times, then left to run his own freelance journalism agency.{{cite news|last1=Mayhew|first1=Freddy|title=NUJ praises rival union founder Steve Turner as 'fierce defender' of journalism following his death at 80|url=http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/nuj-praises-rival-union-founder-steve-turner-as-fierce-defender-of-journalism-following-his-death-at-80/|accessdate=23 January 2018|work=Press Gazette|date=23 May 2016}} This was a success, and he frequently contributed to The Observer and The World at One. After a few years, he became a subeditor for the Daily Mail, then moved to the same post at the Daily Mirror, before becoming editor of its readers' letters page. In addition, he worked for the Sunday Mirror, where he subedited the column written by Woodrow Wyatt.{{cite news|last1=Greenslade|first1=Roy|title=Steve Turner, the man who founded a journalists' union|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2016/may/16/steve-turner-the-man-who-founded-a-journalists-union|accessdate=23 January 2018|work=The Guardian|date=16 May 2016}}

Turner also became active in the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), and by 1990 was Father of the Chapel at the Mirror. That year, he was elected as general secretary of the NUJ, but he was sacked the following year, on the charge that he had defied the union's own policy on the merger of print unions. In protest, Turner resigned from the union and formed the rival British Association of Journalists, which attracted much of the staff from the Mirror. He remained secretary of the new union until 2013, then served as its president until his death in 2016.{{cite web|last1=Linford|first1=Paul|title=New general secretary for journalists union|url=https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2013/news/new-general-secretary-for-journalists-union/|website=Hold The Front Page|accessdate=23 January 2018}}

In December 2011, Turner gave evidence at the Leveson Inquiry. He spoke of the deep-seated culture of bullying and corporate greed that existed in the national press. He requested Lord Justice Leveson to enable journalists to give evidence to the Inquiry secretly and be guaranteed anonymity. {{cite web|title=Leveson Enquiry: Steve Turner|url=https://discoverleveson.com/witness/Steve_Turner/4100/?bc=3|website=Discover Leveson|accessdate=19 March 2021}}

Turner's memorial service was held at St Bride's Church in September 2016.https://www.stbrides.com/steve-turner/