Jon Snow (journalist)

Jonathan George Snow (born 28 September 1947) is an English journalist and television presenter. He is best known as the longest-running presenter of Channel 4 News, which he presented from 1989 to 2021.<ref name="Grdn">Template:Cite news</ref> On 29 April 2021, Snow announced his retirement from the role; his final programme aired on 23 December 2021. Although Channel 4's news programming is produced by ITN, Snow was employed directly by the broadcaster.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Snow has held numerous honorary appointments, including Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University from 2001 to 2008.<ref>Debrett's People of Today Template:Webarchive</ref>

Early life and education

Snow was born in Ardingly, Sussex, the son of George D'Oyly Snow, Bishop of Whitby, and Joan, a pianist who studied at the Royal College of Music.<ref name=shooting>Template:Cite book</ref> He is a grandson of First World War General Sir Thomas D'Oyly Snow (about whom he writes in his foreword to Ronald Skirth's war memoir The Reluctant Tommy)<ref name=rel>Template:Cite book</ref> and is the cousin of retired BBC television news presenter Peter Snow.<ref name=shooting /> He grew up at Ardingly College, where his father was headmaster. In 2013, he recounted how the inquiry into Sir Jimmy Savile had allowed him to re-evaluate his own childhood, having been molested by one of the college's domestic staff when he was aged six.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Snow was awarded a choral scholarship by Winchester Cathedral. He spent five years at the Pilgrims' School, which educates the choristers of Winchester Cathedral Choir. He subsequently attended St Edward's School in Oxford.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When he was 18, he spent a year as a VSO volunteer teaching in Uganda.<ref name=obu-bio /><ref name="Grdn"/>

After mixed success in his first attempt to pass his A-level qualifications, he moved to the Yorkshire Coast College, Scarborough, where he later obtained the necessary qualifications to gain a place reading Law at the University of Liverpool. However, he did not complete his undergraduate studies, being expelled for his part in a 1970 anti-apartheid socialist student protest, which he later described as "an absolute watershed in my life".<ref name="Grdn"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Career

After his law degree studies were terminated at Liverpool University, Snow was hired by Lord Longford<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> to direct the New Horizon Youth Centre, a day centre for homeless young people in central London,<ref name="Grdn"/> an organisation with which he has remained involved and of which he subsequently became chairman.

In 1973 he became a presenter on LBC Radio, a then new commercial radio station.<ref name="Grdn"/>

By 1978, he was working as a correspondent for ITN, and in November of that year was sent on a mission to Vietnam to report on the plight of the boat people.<ref>Jon Snow, Shooting History: A Personal Journey (Harper Collins, 2017), pp. 1–3.</ref> He served as ITN's Washington correspondent (1983–1986) and as diplomatic editor (1986–1989)<ref name=obu-bio /> before becoming the main presenter of Channel 4 News in 1989. In 1992, he was the main anchor for ITN's election night programme, broadcast on ITV; he presented the programme alongside Robin Day, Alastair Stewart and Julia Somerville. (Previously ITN's programme had typically been presented by Alastair Burnet, who left ITN in 1991. The 1992 election night programme was the only one hosted by Snow. He was replaced by Jonathan Dimbleby from 1997 onwards.) Snow has won several RTS Awards<ref name=obu-bio /> – two for reports from El Salvador, one for his reporting of the Kegworth air disaster as well as the 1995 Award for Best Male Presenter and the 1980 Award for TV Journalist of the Year for his coverage of Afghanistan, Iran and the Middle East.<ref name=personally>Template:Cite web</ref>

Snow is known for sporting his vast collection of colourful ties and socks.<ref name=obu-bio/><ref>Sarah Dempster, "Why I love Jon Snow". The Guardian, 17 May 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2010.</ref>

While working as a journalist in Uganda, he flew alongside President Idi Amin in the presidential jet, and Snow has recounted how while Amin appeared to be asleep he thought seriously about taking Amin's revolver and shooting him dead, but was worried about the consequences of firing a loose round in a jet.<ref>"Jon Snow". BBC Radio 4. Time: 0:29:25, 30 January 2011.</ref>

In 1976, Snow reportedly rejected an approach by British intelligence services to spy on his colleagues. At first he was asked to supply information about the Communist Party, but he was then asked to spy on certain "left-wing people" working in television.<ref name=nus-interview /><ref name='B000000'>Template:Cite book</ref> In return he would have received secret monthly, tax-free payments, matching his then salary.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1980, in the early stages of the Iran–Iraq War, he helped rescue a British ship that had become trapped in Iranian waters.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2002 he returned to radio, presenting Jon Snow Reports on Oneword Radio, a weekly show and podcast. He wrote regular articles for the Channel 4 News website and Snowmail – a daily email newsletter on the big stories coming up on the evening edition of Channel 4 News.

In 2003, at the height of the dodgy dossier affair, Alastair Campbell walked into the studio to rebut statements by the BBC. Without notes or preparation, Snow attempted to question Campbell about the affair.<ref name="snowcampbell">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2004, Snow published an autobiography, Shooting History. The book was published by Harper Perennial and detailed Snow's life from his childhood up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.<ref name="shooting hist">Template:Cite book</ref>

Snow refuses to wear any symbol that may represent his views on air; in the run up to Remembrance Day, he condemned what he called "poppy fascism" because "in the end there really must be more important things in life than whether a news presenter wears symbols on his lapels".<ref name="Poppy">Template:Cite web</ref>

Snow in June 2007

On 28 February 2008, Snow said that the silence of the British media on the decision to allow Prince Harry to fight in Afghanistan was unacceptable:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> "I never thought I'd find myself saying thank God for Drudge. The infamous US blogger has broken the best kept editorial secret of recent times. Editors have been sworn to secrecy over Prince Harry being sent to fight in Afghanistan three months ago." These remarks provoked criticism from some viewers and media outlets.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

On 9 February 2009, Snow interviewed Lt-Col Yvonne Bradley, the military counsel for Binyam Mohamed, a British resident detained for five years at Guantánamo Bay. Snow asked whether Mohamed's allegations of torture were justified; Bradley said there was no doubt at all that he had been tortured.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Mohamed was released and returned to Britain on 23 February 2009.

In November 2010 Snow was sent to Haiti to report on the cholera outbreak.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 14 June 2011, Snow presented the multiple award-winning investigation documentary Sri Lanka's Killing Fields, directed by Callum Macrae, which documented war crimes committed in the final days of the Sri Lankan conflict in 2009. The second part, Sri Lanka's Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished was broadcast in March 2012.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In early 2014, Snow had a debate with comedian and actor Russell Brand<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> who appeared in a Channel 4 interview about his petition for a debate on British drug laws.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Accusations of bias

In June 2017, it was reported that Snow had shouted "fuck the Tories" at Glastonbury.<ref name="Grdn"/> He was criticised for his views on air by a guest on Channel 4 News, Conservative minister Grant Shapps later refused to appear on the show, doubting its neutrality.<ref name="Grdn"/> Shapps stated: "I don’t think he [Jon Snow] can deal in an even handed manner in any interview with a Conservative MP. He has lost all credibility."<ref>Christopher Hope,"Boycott Channel 4 News, over Jon Snow's Labour 'bias', former Tory minister tells Conservative MPs", The Telegraph, 30 June 2017.</ref> MP Andrew Bridgen called for Snow's resignation, arguing that Snow's "extreme views" were incompatible with an impartial interviewer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Rival presenter for the BBC, Andrew Marr, commented that if he had made similar comments, he would have lost his job.<ref>Andrew Marr, "It hurts, but I’ve learnt to repress my views", The Times, 2 July 2017.</ref> Channel 4 released a statement saying that Snow had been “spoken to and reminded of his responsibilities around due impartiality”.<ref>Kathryn Snowdon, "Jon Snow Reprimanded Over Alleged 'F**k The Tories' Chant At Glastonbury", Huffington Post, 2 July 2017.</ref>

In March 2019, while reporting at a pro-Brexit protest, Snow said that he had "never seen so many white people in one place". Media regulator Ofcom received 2,644 complaints about Snow's comment;<ref name="Ofcom investigates Snow 'white people' remark">Template:Cite news</ref> viewers "considered the comment unnecessary". A Channel 4 spokeswoman released a statement stating that it was "an unscripted observation" and that the broadcaster regretted any offence caused.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Ofcom investigated whether the comment "broke our rules on offensive content",<ref name="Ofcom investigates Snow 'white people' remark" /> and ruled in August to clear him over the remarks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Other ventures

Following his retirement from ITN as the news anchor for Channel 4 in 2021, Snow continued his long association with the broadcaster by travelling to Greece, Japan and California to research and present his two-part documentary on How to Live to 100,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> broadcast during January 2023. The programme sought to reveal to viewers the secrets of a long, happy and healthy life by examining the lifestyles of the residents of three continents who were approaching 100 years of age.

Awards and honours

Snow declined an OBE because he believes working journalists should not take honours from those about whom they report.<ref name=nus-interview>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In May 2015, Snow accepted a BAFTA Fellowship at the 2015 BAFTA Awards Ceremony.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Snow was also awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of Liverpool in 2011,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> by Sussex University in 2015<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and by Keele University in 2018.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He has an honorary degree from the University of Aberdeen.

Snow is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Personal life

Snow was once engaged to fellow television newsreader Anna Ford.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> For 35 years Snow's partner was human rights lawyer Madeleine Colvin, with whom he has two daughters.<ref name="Grdn"/><ref name="Langley">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> On 26 March 2010, on the Caribbean island of Mustique, Snow married Precious Lunga, a scientist who was born and raised in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).<ref name="Langley" /><ref name="Grdn"/> They had a son together by surrogacy in March 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Snow lives in Primrose Hill, north London.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Known as a keen cyclist and advocate of the activity, Snow served as president of CTC Cycling UK from 2007 onwards, to around 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When his beloved Condor, titanium-framed silver hybrid cycle was stolen from his home, he publicised the theft on his blog and offered £250 reward for its safe return.

Snow served as a governor at Brecknock Primary School, Camden, for many years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

He is the cousin of the equally renowned journalist and broadcaster Peter Snow. <ref>Template:Cite news </ref>

Affiliations

• Trustee of the National Gallery and Tate Gallery from 1999 to 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Patron of Prisoners Abroad, a charity that supports the welfare of Britons imprisoned overseas and their families.
• Patron of Farms Not Factories, a UK nonprofit organisation that works to end factory farming. In March 2016 he appeared in a video for the #TurnYourNoseUp campaign.<ref>Template:Cite web.</ref>
• Patron of Pan Intercultural Arts, a UK charity that uses the Arts to empower young people and unlock their potential: www.pan-arts.net
• Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University from 2001 to 2008, regularly attending university ceremonial events: in 2009 Oxford Brookes conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of the University.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Honorary Professor of Stirling University and guest lecturer on its Film & Media Studies course.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Honorary Fellow (since 15 February 2006) of the Royal Institute of British Architects, an annually-conferred lifetime honour which allows the recipient to use the initials Hon FRIBA after his or her surname.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Snow has an honorary degree from the University of Aberdeen, in recognition of his services to broadcasting.
• Chairman of the Prison Reform Trust from 1992 to 1997.<ref name=obu-bio>Template:Cite web</ref>
• President of the Cyclists' Touring Club in January 2007, succeeding Phil Liggett.<ref name="ctc1">Template:Cite news</ref>
• Patron of Reprieve, a legal action charity that uses the law to enforce the human rights of prisoners, from death row to Guantánamo Bay.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Patron of the African Prisons Project, an international non-governmental organisation with a mission to bring dignity and hope to men women and children in African prisons through health, education, justice and reintegration.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Patron of Media Legal Defence Initiative, a UK-based charity that provides legal support to journalists and media outlets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Patron of the tree planting charity Trees for Cities.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Chair of New Horizon Youth Centre, the charity of which he was Director during the 1970s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Ambassador of Ambitious about Autism, the UK charity supporting children and young people with autism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Patron of the DIPEx Charity, a UK-based charity that produces two health websites, Healthtalkonline<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Youthhealthtalk,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> featuring people's real life experiences of health and illness.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Patron of SafeHands for Mothers, a UK-based charity whose mission is to improve maternal and newborn health by harnessing the power of the visual, through the production of films.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Chairman of the Heart of England Forest,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a charity working to create a 30,000 acre connected woodland of native broadleaf trees. In 2015 they were 12% towards their final goal and already England's largest new native forest.
• Patron of Serious Trust, a charity raising funds for music schemes for young people, communities, and the aspiring next generation of musicians, as well as groundbreaking commissions.

External links

• Jon Snow's Blog on the Channel 4 News web site
• Template:Twitter
• Snowmail Jon Snow's daily email newsletter
• Template:IMDb name
• Jon Snow on the Impact of New Media Template:Webarchive at IIEA, 4 September 2009