A Life in Journalism
Neil Benson
- Regions:
- England, Shropshire, Staffordshire, West Mids, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Isle of Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham
- Notice Period:
- Regular (more than one month's notice)
- Type:
- Professional
- Fee:
- Paid: £100 plus expenses and the opportunity to sell copies of my book.
- Category:
- Media
- Updated:
- 6th November 2025
- Tagged:
- Journalism | Newspapers | Humour
A fast-paced 45-minute talk, highlighting some of the biggest stories from Neil’s career, including a notorious mass murder, the Bradford City fire tragedy, and the unmasking of a popular priest as a serial paedophile. The talk also discusses the existential crisis facing the newspaper industry.
Views: 14 | Enquiries: 0About Neil Benson
Neil Benson spent a working lifetime in the UK media industry, rising from rookie reporter to the very top of the editorial tree, in an era of tumultuous change.
He started out on his hometown newspaper in, The Star, in Sheffield, and went on to edit two of the UK’s leading regional news brands before serving for 16 years as editorial director of Reach plc’s 100-plus regional titles.
Since 2018, Neil has run a successful consultancy business, specialising in leadership development.
He is a former president of the Society of Editors and was the first independent chair of the Editors’ Code committee, which sets the editorial standards for the UK press.
Neil has written a highly-rated memoir, entitled You Can’t Libel the Dead. Packed with amusing anecdotes and colourful characters, the book opens the door on the life and professional dilemmas of a newspaper editor.
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