Catholic Herald

Infobox Newspaper
name = The Catholic Herald
type = Weekly newspaper


format = Broadsheet
owners = Sir Rocco Forte and Lord Black of Crossharbour
editor = Luke Coppen
foundation = 1888
price = £1.00
headquarters = Herald House, Lambs Passage, Bunhill Row, London EC1Y 8TQ
circulation = 22,000
website = [http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/ www.catholicherald.co.uk]

"The Catholic Herald" is a British Catholic newspaper, published in broadsheet format and retailing at £1 (€1.50 in the Republic of Ireland). The current editor is Luke Coppen; and previous editors include Cristina Odone, William Oddie, Peter Stanford and Deborah Jones.

The "Herald" claims a total readership of 45,000 from 22,000 copies distributed to Roman Catholic parishes, wholesale outlets and postal subscribers. This includes 1,000 issues distributed in the Republic of Ireland. Fact|date=February 2007

Founding history

"The Catholic Herald" was established in 1888 by Derry-born Charles Diamond, who owned and edited the paper until his death in 1934.

On January 8, 1920 Diamond was arrested and charged with publication of an article which allegedly encouraged assassination in Ireland.

After Diamond’s death the paper was bought by Ernest Vernor Miles, a recent convert to Catholicism, who appointed Count Michael de la Bedoyere as editor. De la Bedoyere’s news editor was Douglas Hyde, another convert who arrived from the Communist Daily Worker.

De la Bedoyere was an enthusiastic campaigner for many of the changes that would come about with Vatican II, the year he retired from the newspapers, especially the Mass in the vernacular.

De la Bedoyere was also an enthusiastic supporter of ecumenism and used his editorship to warn of the dangers of Soviet Russia after it became an ally in World War II. Sir Desmond Morton, Winston Churchill’s PA, later admitted that the Prime Minister had wanted to close down "The Catholic Herald".

In 1958 the "Herald" went to press with the news that Pope Pius XII had died, having to gone to press while the Pontiff was still alive. The paper carried the story the following morning, by which time he had died, while none of the nationals did.

Editors

Its editors have included:

* Charles Diamond 1888-1934
* Ernest Vernor Miles 1934
* Michael de la Bédoyère 1934-1962
* Desmond Albrow 1962-1967
* Gerald Noel 1971-1974, 1982-1984
* Stuart Reid 1975
* Richard Dowden 1976-1979
* Terence Sheely
* Peter Stanford (1988-1992)
* Cristina Odone
* Deborah Jones (1996-1998)
* William Oddie (1998-2004)
* Luke Coppen (2004- )

Recent history

"The Catholic Herald" is owned by Rocco Forte and Lord Black of Crossharbour.

In recent years the "Herald" has become known as the more orthodox of the British Catholic papers, and there is a clear editorial difference with its main rival, the left-of-centre Tablet.

Website

The online version of the newspaper may be found at http://www.catholicherald.co.uk. It includes the articles from the print edition of "The Catholic Herald" as well as web-only content, such as the coverage of Pope Benedict XVI’s April 2008 trip to the United States.

The site was revamped in February 2008.

Controversies

Philip Pullman book burning

In a November 2002 interview [http://www.surefish.co.uk/culture/features/pullman_interview.htm] Philip Pullman was asked “What's your response to the reactions of the religious right to your work? "The Catholic Herald" called your books the stuff of nightmares and worthy of the bonfire.” He replied: “My response to that was to ask the publishers to print it in the next book, which they did! I think it's comical, it's just laughable.”

Though widely reported, the "Herald" had not called for the book to be burned. Writer Leonie Caldecott was defending JK Rowling and joked that there were better things for fundamentalists to burn (it was around Bonfire Night). [http://www.churchinhistory.org/pages/leftpane/reflect-lit/pullman/bigread&biglie.htm]

Marxist Leanings

Mr Damian Thompson, the Editor in Chief of the Catholic Herald,has a blog hosted by The Telgraph called Holy Smoke where there has been some controversy about the fact that Brendan O'Neill, editor of Spiked (a Marxist online magazine) and Pro Choice advocate, was published by The Catholic Herald. Also Thompson and his features writer, Ed West (formally of lads magazine "Nutts") have both been published by Spiked.

Trivia

The Catholic Herald features in a newspaper round-up at the end of the Big Report episode of the cult satirical news show The Day Today. Chris Morris shows a spoof copy of the paper with a gothic masthead and the headline: “Eating Turkey at Christmas Is Like Nailing An Egg To The Cross". [ [http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=11312 DVD Times - The Day Today ] ]

Contributors

Notable contemporary contributors

* Quentin de la Bédoyère
* Robin Harris
* Mary Kenny
* Stuart Reid
* Fr Ronald Rolheiser
* Petroc Trelawny
* Stephen Hough
* Matt Thorne

Past contributors

* Roger Alton
* Eamonn Andrews wrote a weekly column
* Claus von Bulow, drama critic
* Christopher Howse
* Paul Johnson
* Lord Longford
* Malcolm Muggeridge once wrote a piece entitled “Why I am not a Catholic” but subsequently became both a Catholic and a columnist for "The Catholic Herald".
* Martin Newland
* Jonathan Petre
* Norman St John Stevas
* Auberon Waugh

Past cartoonists

* John Ryan
* Mark Haddon

References

External links

* [http://www.catholicherald.co.uk "The Catholic Herald"]
* [http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/advertising/index.html Advertising information] from "The Catholic Herald"’s website
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19960818/ai_n14062483 After the apocalpyse, enter Ms Jones] "The Independent"