View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

Eve Pollard: ‘I still feel sorry for women in top jobs’

By Paul McNally

Former Sunday Mirror and Sunday Express editor Eve Pollard has said she feels sorry for women occupying the top jobs in journalism because of the criticism they receive.

In an interview with Lauren Laverne on BBC 6Music, the veteran journalist said more needed to be done to achieve parity in newspaper boardrooms between men and women.

Pollard – who spent three years editing the Sunday Mirror and another three at the Sunday Express – said of her time on Fleet Street: ‘There was great competition with men and it was very difficult.

‘I still feel sorry for women in charge now because they can’t seem to do anything right.

‘If they look glamorous, that’s wrong; if they look mousy, that’s wrong; if they have babies, that’s wrong; if they don’t have babies, that’s wrong; if they’re slim, that’s wrong; if they’re fat, that’s wrong.

“There’s no right way of doing it. Nobody looks at blokes in boring suits and criticises them.”

Pollard became the second woman to edit a British national newspaper in 1988, after News of the World editor Wendy Henry, who started at the paper in 1987.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

‘You have to have a thick skin and there have to be so many women that it stops being of notice and stops being of interest,’she added.

‘When you have 50 per cent of women filling the top jobs, it becomes just uninteresting. Now, a few stand out – a few run companies, a few are famous. People have a go at them.”

Today, the editors of three of Britain’s 20 national daily and Sunday newspapers are women – Rebekah Wade at the Sun, Tina Weaver on the Sunday Mirror and Dawn Neesom, who edits the Daily Star.

The London Evening Standard has been edited by Veronica Wadley since 2002.

The Sunday Mirror has had five women editors in its history – Eve Pollard, Bridget Rowe, Tessa Hilton, Amanda Platell and Tina Weaver.

The News of the World has had three – Wendy Henry, Patsy Chapman and Rebekah Wade – the same number as the Sunday Express, which has been edited by Eve Pollard, Sue Douglas and Amanda Platell.

The Guardian, Observer, Times, Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Financial Times have always been edited by men.

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network