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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Letter: Peter Preston and foreign news coverage | Letter: Peter Preston and foreign news coverage |
| (about 18 hours later) | |
| Hella Pick | |
| Wed 10 Jan 2018 17.51 GMT | |
| Last modified on Sun 14 Jan 2018 13.21 GMT | |
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| Foreign correspondents away from their home base often relish editorial plaudits for good stories. Peter Preston rarely wasted time on such niceties. It never mattered, because Peter’s commitment to foreign news coverage never wavered and the correspondents knew they had his support. | Foreign correspondents away from their home base often relish editorial plaudits for good stories. Peter Preston rarely wasted time on such niceties. It never mattered, because Peter’s commitment to foreign news coverage never wavered and the correspondents knew they had his support. |
| When Peter made me eastern European correspondent soon after he became editor I had a huge empire at my disposal. As always budgets were tight. But the foreign desk had the freedom to use its judgment where to send me and what to cover, and Peter was always ready to defend me against complaints of bias that were a regular response to the coverage from eastern Europe. | When Peter made me eastern European correspondent soon after he became editor I had a huge empire at my disposal. As always budgets were tight. But the foreign desk had the freedom to use its judgment where to send me and what to cover, and Peter was always ready to defend me against complaints of bias that were a regular response to the coverage from eastern Europe. |
| He was also stalwart in supporting me on the frequent occasions when I was at the receiving end of demands by Israeli diplomats “to do something” about the Guardian’s alleged anti-Israel policy. | He was also stalwart in supporting me on the frequent occasions when I was at the receiving end of demands by Israeli diplomats “to do something” about the Guardian’s alleged anti-Israel policy. |
| Peter certainly was a very private person. However, I have good cause to know that he could involve himself in the personal problems of his staff and be of genuine help. As it happened, I did not listen to the advice he gave me on a major decision I had to take. When personal disaster followed, it was entirely thanks to Peter and the work assignments he gave me that I was able to pick myself up. | Peter certainly was a very private person. However, I have good cause to know that he could involve himself in the personal problems of his staff and be of genuine help. As it happened, I did not listen to the advice he gave me on a major decision I had to take. When personal disaster followed, it was entirely thanks to Peter and the work assignments he gave me that I was able to pick myself up. |
| Peter had long been close to Ian Wright, his managing editor, and after they both retired, they worked together to run the Guardian Foundation. It was a partnership that worked well and did great work in training journalists, especially from eastern and central Europe. It was a partnership based on friendship. | Peter had long been close to Ian Wright, his managing editor, and after they both retired, they worked together to run the Guardian Foundation. It was a partnership that worked well and did great work in training journalists, especially from eastern and central Europe. It was a partnership based on friendship. |
| Peter Preston | |
| The Guardian | |
| obituaries | |
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