The life of Bob Satchwell, former editor and founder of the Society of Editors was celebrated this week at a memorial service at St Bride’s Church in London.<\/p>\n
Over 100 people, including several representatives from the media industry, congregated at St. Brides’s to pay their respects.<\/p>\n
Rector the Reverend Canon Dr Alison Joyce said: “Today we commemorate a man who was not only outstanding in his field but who was also an exceptional human being.”<\/p>\n
Sir Clive Jones, former chief executive of ITV News and Regions, said there was no finer champion of a free press: “It was no surprise when he became the founder of the Society of Editors, a post he held with great distinction and honour until he suffered his terrible stroke in 2017.<\/p>\n
“What a man, what a life, what a friend.”<\/p>\n
Mr Satchwell died in March, aged 72, after developing pneumonia and coronavirus. He had been unwell since 2017 after suffering a severe stroke.<\/p>\n
Mr Satchwell was a former president of the Guild of Editors before founding the Society of Editors in 1999. He was also a director of the London Press Club and a former board member of the National Council for the Training of Journalists.<\/p>\n
He began his career at the Lancashire Evening Post in 1970 as a reporter, and won journalist of the year and crime reporter of the year in the 1977 British Press Awards. He was assistant editor for the News of the World and went on to edit the Cambridge Evening News from 1984 to 1998.<\/p>\n