A Life in Journalism
Neil Benson
- Regions:
- England, Shropshire, Staffordshire, West Mids, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, Isle of Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham
- Notice Period:
- Emergency (maybe less than one week's notice)
- Type:
- Professional
- Fee:
- Paid: £100 plus expenses
- Category:
- Media
- Updated:
- 11th November 2025
- Tagged:
- Newspapers | Journalism | Humour
Neil Benson began his career as a teenage trainee reporter and rose to become of the UK's most senior editorial executives.
This talk recounts some of the major stories he covered, including a notorious mass murder, the Bradford City Fire tragedy, and the unmasking of a popular priest as a serial paedophile.
Neil discusses the existential challenges confronting the UK media in the era of fake news, and tells many amusing tales from his life in journalism, drawn from his memoir You Can't Libel the Dead. Former Daily Mail foreign editor Gerry Hunt described the book as 'blending astute reflections on journalism with refreshingly funny anecdotes. This absorbing account charts Benson's rise from lowly copy boy to senior executive - and the fun and perils along the way'.
Views: 11 | Enquiries: 0About Neil Benson
Neil Benson rose from rookie reporter to the top of the editorial tree at a time of tumultuous change for the media industry.
In his 45-year career, he worked for national newspapers including the Daily Express and the Mail on Sunday, and edited two of Britain's leading regional titles, the Coventry Telegraph and the Newcastle Chronicle. He was editorial director of Reach plc's 100-plus regional titles for 16 years, before establishing a media consultancy, specialising in leadership development and working with publishers and academic institutions.
Neil has held a number of prominent industry roles. He is a former chair of the Editors' Code committee, which sets the professional standards for journalists in the UK, and a former president of the Society of Editors. He was a visiting professor at the University of Huddersfield and a course advisor and lecturer on the University of Central Lancashire's industry-leading Journalism, Innovation and Leadership programme.
The story of Neil's career is told in his memoir You Can't Libel the Dead, described by Jonathan Grun, the former editor of the Press Association, as 'always insightful and honest, sometimes moving and frequently laugh-out-loud funny...the story of a great journalist's lifetime of adventure'.
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