Chief executive of the News Media Association David Newell has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the newspaper industry.
Douglas Simpson was also among those recognised, being given an MBE for services to pharmaceutical journalism.
Newell has been chief executive of the NMA since it was created in 2014 after the merger with the Newspaper Society (which covers the regional press) and the Newspaper Publishers Association (which covers nationals). It represents the interests of the national and regional newspaper industry. Newell headed up the Newspaper Society from 1997 and also the Newspaper Publishers Association from 2007.
A solicitor by training, Newell formerly worked as a university academic.
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He sits on industry boards including the World Association of Newspapers, Advertising Standards Board of Finance, Advertising Association and News Media Europe and is a strong defender of press freedom
Douglas Simpson (above) is now an MBE. Photo Credit: J Simpson.
Simpson began working in journalism in the 1960s, when he edited the weekly newsletter of Sunderland Technical College’s student union newspaper. Graduating in 1965, he worked as a community pharmacist before joining the Pharmaceutical Journal as a sub-editor.
Simpson became assistant editor in 1973, before becoming senior assistant editor in 1981 and then six years later, became editor. In 1996, he became editorial director of PJ Publications, in which he launched a series of new publications.
In 2000, Simpson left the organisation. He then edited the quarterly newsletter of the Institute for Pharmacy Management before joining the Independent Community Pharmacist, a monthly publication, initially as editor in 2004, before stepping down in 2012 and becoming consultant editor.
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