John Mulholland (journalist) facts for kids

John Mulholland, born on November 20, 1962, is an Irish journalist. He is well-known for being the editor of a British newspaper called The Observer for ten years. He also worked as an assistant editor for The Guardian. Most of his career has been with the Guardian Media Group. In 2018, he became the editor of Guardian US, a version of The Guardian for the United States. He left this job in 2022.

Early Life and Learning

John Mulholland grew up in Ranelagh, Dublin, in Ireland. He has seven brothers and sisters. He went to Dublin City University and earned a degree in communications in 1983. He also studied for a master's degree in media and communications at California State University, Sacramento in the United States.

Starting His Journalism Career

Mulholland began his work in journalism in 1987. He worked as an arts assistant at The Independent newspaper. Then, he briefly worked for London Daily News in the same role. In 1988, he helped start a company called Listings Limited. This company provided information about arts and entertainment to newspapers.

He joined The Guardian in 1990. He started as an assistant editor for the arts section. In 1994, he became the media editor. In 1998, he left The Guardian for a short time. He worked on a project to relaunch a newspaper called Sporting Life. However, his time there ended quickly due to a disagreement.

Leading The Observer Newspaper

Mulholland returned to the Guardian Media Group in 1998. He became the deputy editor of The Observer. In this role, he looked after different sections. These included magazines, sports, travel, and culture. He helped create new monthly magazines for food, sport, and music. He also helped change the newspaper's size and shape. He encouraged young journalists, like Nick Paton Walsh.

Becoming Editor of The Observer

In January 2008, John Mulholland became the editor of The Observer. He had read the newspaper since he was a teenager. As editor, he made changes to the newspaper's team. In 2009, he closed the monthly sport, music, and women's magazines. In 2010, he relaunched the newspaper with four main sections. He also reduced the staff to help save costs.

In 2013, an article published in The Observer caused a lot of discussion. Many people were upset by it. Mulholland responded to the concerns. He said he would look into the issue. The article was later removed from the newspaper's website.

In 2015, Mulholland also became an assistant editor for The Guardian. This was one of the first appointments made by the new editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner. From 2017 to 2017, Mulholland was the temporary editor of Guardian US.

Editor of Guardian US

In April 2018, John Mulholland became the editor of Guardian US. His deputy, Paul Webster, took over his previous role. In 2021, a former columnist for Guardian US, Nathan J. Robinson, wrote an article. He claimed Mulholland ended his job due to some online posts. Mulholland had suggested that these posts were "not helpful to public discourse." Mulholland left his role at Guardian US in 2022. Betsy Reed became the new editor.