Geoffrey Goodman facts for kids

Geoffrey George Goodman (born July 2, 1922 – died September 5, 2013) was a famous British journalist, writer, and broadcaster. He worked for several important newspapers like the News Chronicle and the Daily Herald. From 1969 to 1986, he was a top journalist at the Daily Mirror. Goodman was known as a leading expert on industrial news, meaning he knew a lot about factories, workers, and trade unions. He had many important contacts and often reported on big worker disputes in Britain.

He was friends with important politicians like Harold Wilson, who was a Prime Minister, and other leaders such as Frank Cousins, Aneurin Bevan, and Michael Foot. For a short time in 1975, he even helped Harold Wilson with economic advice. After leaving the Daily Mirror, Goodman started a magazine called British Journalism Review in 1989. He was its editor until 2002.

Early Life and First Steps

Geoffrey Goodman was born in Stockport, which is now part of Greater Manchester. He was the only child of Edythe and Michael Goodman. His grandparents had moved to Britain from Poland and Russia. His father often didn't have a job, so in 1935, his family moved to Camden Town, London, hoping for a better life. Goodman decided to become a political journalist because he often heard people discussing important news in local shops. He noticed that newspapers sometimes didn't print stories that everyone knew were true.

When World War II started, he joined the RAF in 1941, even adding a year to his age to enlist. He was a pilot and flew Mosquito planes for photography missions. He finished his war service in 1946. After the war, Goodman studied at the London School of Economics. In 1947, he married Margit Freudenbergova. She had come to Britain as a child on the very last Kindertransport train, which rescued Jewish children from Czechoslovakia just before the war. They had a son and a daughter.

Starting a Journalism Career

After the war, Goodman worked briefly for Manchester Guardian (1946–47). Then he joined the Daily Mirror, but he was let go at Christmas in 1948. After that, he started working for the News Chronicle. He used to be a member of the Communist Party, but he left it in 1951. From then on, he supported the Labour Party. He was a friend of Aneurin Bevan, a politician who had started a newspaper called Tribune. Goodman helped Tribune and its new writers.

For the News Chronicle, Goodman wrote important articles after a docks strike in 1954. He visited many workplaces and found out about "amazing problems, really bad management, and confusing worker practices." The leader of the TGWU, Arthur Deakin, read Goodman's articles before they were published. He thought they were "scandalous inventions." Goodman supported his editor's choice to disagree with the Suez intervention, even though it caused arguments among the newspaper's staff. Later, he also wrote about the small town of Sellafield in 1959, where the UK's first nuclear power station was located.

Working at the Herald, Sun, and Mirror

When the News Chronicle closed in 1959, Goodman joined the Daily Herald. He continued working for the same company when the Herald became The Sun in 1964. In 1969, Goodman returned to the Daily Mirror for the second time. He became the industrial editor for Mirror Group Newspapers and also an assistant editor and columnist for the Mirror until 1986.

He was friends with Prime Ministers Harold Wilson and James Callaghan, who both respected his work. He also got along with Conservative Prime Minister Edward Heath, who even invited him to his country home, Chequers. From July 1975 to August 1976, Goodman led a special team for the Labour government to help control rising prices. In 1979, he wrote a book called The Awkward Warrior, which was a biography of the trade union leader and politician Frank Cousins.

In 1984, Mirror Group Newspapers was bought by Robert Maxwell. Goodman called Maxwell "the maniac on the ninth floor." In July 1984, Maxwell changed one of Goodman's articles about the 1984–85 miners' strike. He removed a part that showed Margaret Thatcher's strong stance against the 1974 miners' strike. Goodman threatened to quit if this happened again. He retired from the Mirror in 1986. He later said he regretted not resigning when Maxwell became his boss.

Later Years and Legacy

Geoffrey Goodman was the first editor of the British Journalism Review (BJR), a quarterly magazine. He edited it from 1989 to 2002. In his first editorial, he wrote that journalism was becoming "squalid, banal, lazy and cowardly." After he stopped being editor in 2002, he became the chairman of the BJR's board.

In 2003, he published his own memoir, From Bevan to Blair: Fifty Years Reporting from the Political Frontline. This book shared his experiences reporting on governments led by Wilson and Callaghan.

In an interview in 2011, Goodman talked about how the role of the press had changed. He said that while there was much more information available, there wasn't as much "depth of knowledge." He felt that journalists now rushed to get a story first, even if it wasn't very strong.

In 1998, Goodman was given the honor of being a CBE for his great work in journalism. He also received an honorary Master of Arts degree from the University of Oxford and was a special fellow at Nuffield College from 1974 to 1976.

Goodman's papers about the Royal Commission on the Press are kept at the University of Warwick. These papers include notes from his interviews with important figures like Frank Cousins, Jack Jones, Harold Wilson, and James Callaghan.