Richard Keith Stott (17 August 1943 – 30 July 2007) was a British journalist and editor. Born in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, he attended

Clifton College ''The spirit nourishes within'' , established = 160 years ago , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school , religion = Christian , president = , head_label = Head of College , hea ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. He began his career in journalism with the ''

Bucks Herald ''The Bucks Herald'' is a weekly newspaper, published every Wednesday and covering Aylesbury and its surrounding villages in the Aylesbury Vale area of Buckinghamshire, England. It was first published on 7 January 1832. History At its launch t ...

'', aged 19. After the Great Train Robbery that year, he was the only journalist to interview the driver of the train that pulled the hijacked one off the main line. As a result of this interview, it was realised that the cash haul was a great deal more than had at first been estimated. Stott is the only man to have edited two British national newspapers twice: the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...

'' from 1985 to 1989 and again from 1991 to 1992, and the '' Sunday People'' from 1984 to 1985 and again (by then known as ''The People'') from 1990 to 1991. He was one of the few journalists who could call

Robert Maxwell Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, member of parliament (MP), suspected spy, and fraudster. Early in his life, Maxwell escaped from ...

's bluff during the time he was editor, and sometimes refused to meet Maxwell's demands. "I considered myself to be working for the ''Mirror'', not for Maxwell", Stott wrote. "I believed in what the ''Mirror'' stood for - social justice, decent and honest standards in public life and the right for people with small voices to be heard loud and clear". Stott's ''Mirror'' headline commemorating Maxwell the day after he died ("The Man Who Saved The Mirror") was mocked, but soon afterwards Stott was covering Maxwell's plundering of the company pension funds. After Stott headed a failed management attempt at a buyout, the new chief executive of Mirror Group David Montgomery fired him. At the suggestion of owner

Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...

, Stott edited the ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

'' newspaper from 1993 to November 1995, when the paper ceased publication. During this time, he appointed

Anne Robinson Anne Josephine Robinson (born 26 September 1944) is an English television presenter and journalist. She was the host of BBC game show '' The Weakest Link'' (2000–2017). She presented the Channel 4 game show ''Countdown'' from June 2021 to Jul ...

and

Alastair Campbell Alastair John Campbell (born 25 May 1957) is a British journalist, author, strategist, broadcaster and activist known for his roles during Tony Blair's leadership of the Labour Party. Campbell worked as Blair's spokesman and campaign director ...

to work for ''Today''. Subsequently, Stott was a columnist for the '' News of the World'' (1997–2000) and the '' Sunday Mirror'' (2001–7). Among many interests, he enjoyed buying paintings by modern artists and building a fine collection of books. The younger brother of the actor Judith Stott, his brother-in-law for nearly twenty-years was the comedian Dave Allen, also an amateur artist, whom he greatly admired. Stott's memoir, ''Dogs and Lampposts'', was published in 2002 by Metro. Stott spent much of his last year editing Alastair Campbell's book '' The Blair Years''. Stott died in London, aged 63, of pancreatic cancer; he was survived by his widow Penny, three children and four grandchildren.

References

External links

BBC obituary
1943 births 2007 deaths British male journalists British newspaper editors Deaths from pancreatic cancer People from Oxford People educated at Clifton College Deaths from cancer in England The Sunday People people Daily Mirror people {{UK-journalist-stub