Mark Douglas-Home
Encyclopedia
Mark Douglas-Home is an author and journalist
, best known for having been the editor
of The Herald
newspaper in Scotland. His first novel, The Sea Detective, was published in May 2011.
The son of Edward Charles Douglas-Home and Nancy Rose Straker-Smith, he, along with his two brothers, was educated at Eton College
and the University of the Witwatersrand
, where he was the editor of the then fervently anti-apartheid student newspaper, Wits Student. (An unrepentant Douglas-Home was deported from South Africa
in 1970 by the government of the day, following a series of anti-government cartoons that were deemed offensive by Pretoria
.) He was a reporter for the North London Weekly Herald, the Sunday Express
, and the Edinburgh Evening News
. He went on to serve as Scotland Correspondent for The Independent
, news editor and assistant editor for The Scotsman
, deputy editor of the Scotland on Sunday
, and editor of the Sunday Times Scotland.
Douglas-Home was appointed editor of The Herald, a nationally-circulated broadsheet
newspaper
in Scotland, in 2000. During his tenure the paper introduced new daily themed magazines, and continued to sell more than The Scotsman. It was announced on December 1, 2005 that he was leaving the paper. It was rumoured to be because of his unhappiness at budget cuts imposed on the paper by owners Newsquest
.
The noble title, the Earl of Home
in the Peerage of Scotland
, belongs to his family, and his cousin, David Alexander Cospatrick Douglas-Home is the current holder. His uncle, the previous holder, was Alec Douglas-Home
, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
. He is married to Northern Irish
journalist Colette Douglas-Home - who is a columnist for the Herald newspaper. The couple have two children called Rebecca Douglas-Home and Rory Douglas-Home.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, best known for having been the editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of The Herald
The Herald (Glasgow)
The Herald is a broadsheet newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, and available throughout Scotland. As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 47,226, giving it a lead over Scotland's other 'quality' national daily, The Scotsman, published in Edinburgh.The 1889 to 1906 editions...
newspaper in Scotland. His first novel, The Sea Detective, was published in May 2011.
The son of Edward Charles Douglas-Home and Nancy Rose Straker-Smith, he, along with his two brothers, was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
, where he was the editor of the then fervently anti-apartheid student newspaper, Wits Student. (An unrepentant Douglas-Home was deported from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1970 by the government of the day, following a series of anti-government cartoons that were deemed offensive by Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
.) He was a reporter for the North London Weekly Herald, the Sunday Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
, and the Edinburgh Evening News
Edinburgh Evening News
The Edinburgh Evening News is a local newspaper based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is published daily . It has a circulation of 68,000 and is owned by Johnston Press, which also owns The Scotsman and many regional titles throughout the UK.Much of the copy contained in the Evening News concerns local...
. He went on to serve as Scotland Correspondent for The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, news editor and assistant editor for The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
, deputy editor of the Scotland on Sunday
Scotland on Sunday
Scotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate The Scotsman...
, and editor of the Sunday Times Scotland.
Douglas-Home was appointed editor of The Herald, a nationally-circulated broadsheet
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
in Scotland, in 2000. During his tenure the paper introduced new daily themed magazines, and continued to sell more than The Scotsman. It was announced on December 1, 2005 that he was leaving the paper. It was rumoured to be because of his unhappiness at budget cuts imposed on the paper by owners Newsquest
Newsquest
Newsquest is the third largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the United Kingdom with 300 titles in its portfolio. Newsquest is based in Weybridge, Surrey and employs a total of more than 5,500 people across the UK...
.
The noble title, the Earl of Home
Earl of Home
The title Earl of Home was created in 1605 in the Peerage of Scotland for Alexander Home of that Ilk, who was already the 6th Lord Home.The Earl of Home holds the subsidiary titles of Lord Home , and Lord Dunglass , in the Peerage of Scotland; and Baron Douglas, of Douglas in the County of Lanark ...
in the Peerage of Scotland
Peerage of Scotland
The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the British Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. With that year's Act of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was...
, belongs to his family, and his cousin, David Alexander Cospatrick Douglas-Home is the current holder. His uncle, the previous holder, was Alec Douglas-Home
Alec Douglas-Home
Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, KT, PC , known as The Earl of Home from 1951 to 1963 and as Sir Alec Douglas-Home from 1963 to 1974, was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1963 to October 1964.He is the last...
, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
. He is married to Northern Irish
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
journalist Colette Douglas-Home - who is a columnist for the Herald newspaper. The couple have two children called Rebecca Douglas-Home and Rory Douglas-Home.