Stephanie Flanders

Infobox_Person
name = Stephanie Flanders
imagesize =
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birth_date = birth date and age|1968|8|5|df=y
birth_place =
death_date =
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occupation =
known_for = Television presenter
education = Balliol College, University of Oxford
Harvard University
title =
children =
spouse =
parents = Michael Flanders and Claudia Cockburn
relatives = Laura Flanders (sister)
Olivia Wilde (half-cousin)
Alexander Cockburn (half-uncle)
Andrew Cockburn (half-uncle)
Patrick Cockburn (half-uncle)
Sarah Caudwell (half-aunt)
Leslie Cockburn (half-aunt by marriage)
Claud Cockburn (grandfather)
salary =
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website =

Stephanie Hope Flanders (born 5 August 1968) [Who's Who] is an award-winning British broadcast journalist, and is currently the BBC economics editor. [cite press release
title = The Work Foundation's Workworld Awards Winners Announced
publisher = PR Newswire
date = 19 January 2007
url = http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=162175] She is the daughter of British actor and comic singer Michael Flanders and wife Claudia Cockburn.

Early life

Flanders' father, Michael Flanders, died in 1975 when she was six years old. She went to St Paul's Girls' School and was a student at Balliol College, Oxford and Harvard University.

Early career

Flanders began her career as an economist at the London Business School and the Institute for Fiscal Studies. She then became a leader writer and columnist at the Financial Times from 1994. [ [http://www.marygreenham.co.uk/clients_stephanieflanders.php Mary Greenham - Administrative/Management for TV Presenters and Broadcast Journalists ] ] She became a speechwriter and advisor to U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers in 1997, and joined the New York Times in 2001. [ [http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/f/stephanie_flanders/index.html Stephanie Flanders - The New York Times ] ]

"Newsnight"

Flanders joined the BBC's "Newsnight" in 2002. A keen cyclist, in 2005 she presented a review of Britain's economic status for "Panorama" from her bicycle, travelling the length of the country. She also contributed (with reference to her father's song "A Transport Of Delight") to the BBC News coverage of the last of Routemaster buses. In 2006 and 2007 she presented some relief shifts for BBC News between 2pm and 5pm.

On a "Newsnight" programme in August 2007, Flanders interrogated Conservative Party leader David Cameron about his proposed policy of tax breaks for married couples while questioning him with other journalists, asking him whether he had ever met anyone who would get married for an extra £20 per week. As an unmarried mother, she also asked Mr. Cameron whether the Conservative Party would like her to be married.Johnston, Jenny, [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-548491/Meet-Credit-Crunch-Crumpet-The-unmarried-mum-clashed-Cameron-Newsnight.html Meet the Credit Crunch Crumpet: The unmarried mum who clashed with Cameron on Newsnight] dated 29 March 2008 at dailymail.co.uk, accessed 14 July 2008] Her contribution was criticised by "Daily Mail" columnist Richard Littlejohn on 31 August 2007, where he made references to her "privileged" educational background and later wrote that "If Stephanie Flanders speaks for Britain, then I'm a "gnu" (in reference to "The Gnu" - a song sung by her father and stage partner Donald Swann).

Economics editor

In February 2008 it was announced that she would replace Evan Davis as BBC economics editor, since he was moving to present Radio 4's Today programme. She took up this position on 17 March. [cite episode| title = BBC Ten OClock News |url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_5350000/newsid_5351100?redirect=5351140.stm&news=1&bbram=1&bbwm=1&nbwm=1&nbram=1 | airdate=2008-03-17]

In June 2008 Hugh Pym temporarily replaced her as the BBC's economics editor whilst she is on maternity leave.

Family

With her partner John Arlidge, Flanders has one son, Stanley, born in 2006 and a daughter, Claudia, born in 2008.

The US based journalist Laura Flanders is her sister, and journalists Alexander Cockburn, Andrew Cockburn and Patrick Cockburn are her uncles. She is the granddaughter of the famous British Communist journalist, Claud Cockburn, and is distantly related to the novelists Alec and Evelyn Waugh. Her cousin is the television and film star Olivia Wilde.

On June 30, 2007, Stephanie presented a BBC documentary about Michael Flanders, featuring her journey of discovery about her father's career, on BBC Radio 4's "The Archive Hour", called "Flanders on Flanders." [cite web |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6253824.stm |publisher = BBC |title = Re-discovering my father |date = 29 June 2007]

References

External links

*cite web| title = Stephanie Flanders | work = Newsnight | publisher = BBC | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/3094355.stm
*imdb name|id=2162408|name=Stephanie Flanders