Exhibit JC42 - The Leveson Inquiry

For Distribution to CPsYoung Women Learning Journalism at London University, 1919-1939Robed Barr’s serial, Jennie Baxter, Journalist, later published as a book,and, by then, the IoJ had sixty-eight women members, of whom fifteenwere on national daily newspapers, and twenty-three on provincialnewspapers, but none were reporters.Representing women journalists by the novelist Henry JamesAn under-appreciated, but ever-observant, recorder of 1890s womenjournalists in London, the novelist Henry James (1834-1916), provides uswith a flavour of the times in his short story The Papers. His fictional MaudeBlandy is represented as the ’suburban young women in a sailor hat [forwhom] the Daily Press played as a receptacle into which, regularly,breathlessly, contributions had to be dropped - odds and ends all grist tothe mill. Maud Blandy drank beer, smoked cigarettes when privacypermitted, [was] born afresh each morning, to serve only until themorrow...she was an edition, an "extra special" coming out at the loudhours and living its life amid the roar of vehicles, the hustle of pavements,the shriek of newsboys...Maud was a shocker in petticoats. ’1° For Jamestoo this was an ’age of emancipation’ for women, which helps us tounderstand how so many young women might have begun to envisagejournalism as a career. In another story James pinpointed what the Londonnewspaper editor wanted from his ’lady’ reporters when interviewing - thena new word - their subject: ’anecdotes, glimpses, gossip, chat; a picture ofhis "home life," domestic habits, diet, dress, arrangement - all his little waysand little secrets. ’~1But how would young women have found their way into journalism? Aswe have seen, no entry certificate existed and a career path for women,from provincial weekly to national daily newspaper, must have appearedlike an impossible dream. Yet there were women following just that route.Fifteen year-old Emilie Marshall (1882-1964) began work on the DarlingtonNorthern Echo in 1898, where her father John was the editor and shereported local events before experiencing sub-editing, working six days aweek until 3 a.m. This led, in 1904, to her becoming the first-ever womanreporter on the Daily Express edited by R. D. Blumenfeld. ~21904 also saw Frances Low, the sister of two knights of journalism, SirMaurice and Sir Sidney, publish her Press Work for Women: A Textbookfor the Young Woman Journalist. ~3 This was the result of ten years’journalistic experience and Low believed ’it is quite possible for the novicein journalism to make a small income from the start, a situation that existsin no other form of employment open to women [so] it is in no way difficult,,14then, to account for the immense popularity of journahsm among youngwomen¯ Indeed, Low stated ’She may be expected to take up journalismseriously as her sisters take up teaching or nursing [...] and earn £100 ayear.’ She also taught journalism in an upper classroom in South MoltonStreet, London, and one of her pupils was the nineteen year-old MaryGrieve who, later, recalled being taught, ’with a dozen other girls, theprinciples of journalism by a vigorous ancient lady wearing a bonnet tiedunder her chin with ribbons, and strangely old-fashioned garments¯ Butthere was nothing else old-fashioned about Miss Frances Low. She had206MOD100051377