Hugo Rifkind
Encyclopedia
Hugo Rifkind is a columnist
for The Times
and The Spectator
and the son of MP and former Conservative and Unionist Cabinet Minister, Sir Malcolm Rifkind
.
and Edith Rifkind. He is Jewish.
Rifkind was educated at the independent Loretto School
in Musselburgh
, near Edinburgh. He also attended George Watson's College
in Edinburgh before attending Emmanuel College, Cambridge
where he read Philosophy
.
and the Evening Standard
, and a columnist for the Glasgow Herald. He joined The Times in 2005, taking over the gossip column ("People") from Andrew Pierce
.
As of 2011 Rifkind writes a weekly opinion column for The Times on Fridays and a satirical diary ("My Week") on Saturdays, in the style of a public figure in the news. Additionally, he has appeared on BBC Radio Scotland
and BBC London
and BBC Radio 4
's satirical quiz show The News Quiz
. His debut novel, Overexposure, a satirical farce set in the London media world, was published in 2006.
On 8 January 2011, Rifkind's full page essay on Wikipedia
, titled "The website that turned the world wiki", was published. This was based on Rifkind's conversation with Jimmy Wales
, the founder of Wikipedia, and included the admission that, in 2010, he (Rifkind) had inserted fictitious information about Queen Victoria in the Wikipedia entry for 29 April (the date in 2011 of the then-planned wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
) and had successfully fooled at least two journalists who had used the material in published stories. Rifkind claimed also that, over the years, his own entry had been "humorously vandalised" by colleagues of his wife.
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
and the son of MP and former Conservative and Unionist Cabinet Minister, Sir Malcolm Rifkind
Malcolm Rifkind
Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind KCMG QC MP is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Kensington. He served in various roles as a cabinet minister under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, including Secretary of State for Scotland , Defence Secretary and...
.
Early life and education
Hugo Rifkind was born 1977 in Edinburgh, the son of MalcolmMalcolm Rifkind
Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind KCMG QC MP is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Kensington. He served in various roles as a cabinet minister under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, including Secretary of State for Scotland , Defence Secretary and...
and Edith Rifkind. He is Jewish.
Rifkind was educated at the independent Loretto School
Loretto School
Loretto School is an independent school in Scotland, founded in 1827. The campus occupies in Musselburgh, near Edinburgh.-History:Loretto was founded by the Reverend Thomas Langhorne in 1827. Langhorne came from Crosby Ravensworth, near Kirkby Stephen. The school was later taken over by his son,...
in Musselburgh
Musselburgh
Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...
, near Edinburgh. He also attended George Watson's College
George Watson's College
George Watson's College, known informally as Watson's, is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871 and was merged with its sister school...
in Edinburgh before attending Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
where he read Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
.
Journalistic career
Rifkind started in journalism in as an editorial assistant for the showbiz website Peoplenews.com, before becoming a freelance writer for The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
, and a columnist for the Glasgow Herald. He joined The Times in 2005, taking over the gossip column ("People") from Andrew Pierce
Andrew Pierce
Andrew Pierce is a British journalist and radio presenter.Pierce is a columnist for the Daily Mail and was previously Assistant Editor of The Daily Telegraph and assistant editor of the Times.- References :...
.
As of 2011 Rifkind writes a weekly opinion column for The Times on Fridays and a satirical diary ("My Week") on Saturdays, in the style of a public figure in the news. Additionally, he has appeared on BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
and BBC London
BBC London 94.9
BBC London 94.9 is London's BBC Local Radio station, and part of BBC London. Broadcasting across Greater London and beyond on 94.9 FM, DAB, Virgin Media Channel 930, Sky Channel 0152 and also online...
and BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's satirical quiz show The News Quiz
The News Quiz
The News Quiz is a topical panel game broadcast on British radio BBC Radio 4.-History:It was first broadcast in 1977 with Barry Norman as chairman. Subsequently it was chaired by Simon Hoggart, Barry Took , and then again by Simon Hoggart until March 2006. Hoggart was replaced by Sandi Toksvig in...
. His debut novel, Overexposure, a satirical farce set in the London media world, was published in 2006.
On 8 January 2011, Rifkind's full page essay on Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
, titled "The website that turned the world wiki", was published. This was based on Rifkind's conversation with Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
, the founder of Wikipedia, and included the admission that, in 2010, he (Rifkind) had inserted fictitious information about Queen Victoria in the Wikipedia entry for 29 April (the date in 2011 of the then-planned wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
The wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton took place on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. Prince William, the eldest son of Charles, Prince of Wales, first met Catherine Middleton in 2001, when both were studying at the University of St Andrews. Their...
) and had successfully fooled at least two journalists who had used the material in published stories. Rifkind claimed also that, over the years, his own entry had been "humorously vandalised" by colleagues of his wife.