Dorothy Byrne

For the American operatic mezzo-soprano, see Dorothy Byrne (mezzo-soprano).

Dorothy Byrne
Born1953 (age 71–72)
Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland
NationalityBritish
Alma materManchester University
OccupationPresident of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge
Known forHead of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4 Television

Dorothy Byrne, FRTS (born 1953, Scotland),[1] serves as President of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, since 2021.

Previously Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4 Television for 15 years,[2] during which time her programmes won numerous Royal Television Society, BAFTA and Emmy awards, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Television Society for her outstanding contribution to television and has won several major television awards including the RTS Journalism Award. In 2019, Byrne delivered the prestigious MacTaggart Lecture[3] at the Edinburgh Television Festival in which she criticised politicians for lying and failing to be held to account.

Background

The daughter of Charles and Agnes Byrne,[4] she was educated at Layton Hill Convent, Blackpool,[5] before going up to read philosophy at Manchester University (BA Hons), then business studies at Sheffield University (Diploma).[4][6]

Career

Byrne was producer of World in Action (ITV), 1992–95, and editor of The Big Story (ITV), 1995–98. In 1998 she was appointed Commissioning Editor of Current Affairs and editor of Dispatches at Channel 4. In 2003 she was appointed Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4. She stepped down in 2020 and was appointed Editor-at-Large of Channel 4 Television.[4]

From 2005 to 2016, she was a Visiting Professor at the School of Journalism of the University of Lincoln.[4] Since 2016, she has been a visiting professor at De Montfort University.[4] In 2019, she delivered both the MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh Television Festival and the Cockcroft Rutherford Lecture at the University of Manchester.[7] In 2020, she was elected a Visiting Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Oxford.[8]

In December 2020, Byrne was elected as the sixth President of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge.[5] She took up the appointment on 17 September 2021, following the retirement of Dame Barbara Stocking.[9]

Byrne has received honorary doctorates from her almae matres : Hon. LittD (University of Sheffield) in 2018 and Hon. LittD (University of Manchester) in 2021.[10] She also received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University from the University of the West of Scotland in 2022,[11] and is an Honorary Graduate of the University of Portsmouth.

In November 2019, Byrne published Trust Me, I'm Not a Politician, an essay asking how our trust in democracy and public life can be regained.

On 2 June 2024 Byrne was interviewed on BBC Radio 3's progamme Private Passions, with her choice of music that has been significant in her life, many details of her personal biography, and her concern over the lack of women in high office:"we need more old women everywhere." (available as a podcast).[12]

Ahmadinejad's alternative Christmas message

In a statement of December 2008, Byrne defended Channel 4's invitation to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian President, to deliver the channel's "alternative Christmas message": "As the leader of one of the most powerful states in the Middle East, President Ahmadinejad's views are enormously influential. ... we are offering our viewers an insight into an alternative world view".[13] The Israeli Ambassador to the UK, Ron Prosor, said: "In Iran, converts to Christianity face the death penalty. It is perverse that this despot is allowed to speculate on the views of Jesus, while his government leads Christ's followers to the gallows."[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Age shall not weary Dorothy Byrne's wisdom... or her sharp tongue | Vanessa Thorpe". the Guardian. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  2. ^ Owen Gibson, "Outraged of Horseferry Road", The Guardian, 12 March 2007.
  3. ^ The Mactaggart Lecture, Edinburgh Television Festival 2019. "The Mactaggart Lecture". Edinburgh TV Festival, YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b c d e "Byrne, Dorothy, Head of News and Current Affairs, Channel 4 Television, since 2004". Who's Who 2021. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2020. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U245246. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b Murray Edwards College: "Dorothy Byrne elected as next President" 16 December 2020
  6. ^ "Ms Dorothy Byrne". Murray Edwards College. University of Cambridge. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  7. ^ "Cockcroft Rutherford Lecture 2019: Trust me, I'm not a politician". StaffNet. The University of Manchester. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Dorothy Byrne appointed as Visiting Fellow". Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. University of Oxford. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Dorothy Byrne admitted as President of Murray Edwards College". Murray Edwards College. University of Cambridge. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  10. ^ www.manchester.ac.uk
  11. ^ www.uws.ac.uk
  12. ^ Radio Times 1-7 June 2024 page 12
  13. ^ "President of Iran to give message this Christmas". Channel 4. 24 December 2008. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008.
  14. ^ "Anger at Iran president's Channel 4 broadcast". The Irish Times. 25 December 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
Academic offices
Preceded by President,
Murray Edwards College, Cambridge
2021–present 		Incumbent