Curate at the journalists’ church on Fleet Street – St Bride’s – George Pitcher has been appointed as the new religion editor for the Daily and Sunday Telegraphs and Telegraph.co.uk.
This is the latest in a series of appointments working across both Telegraph titles and Telegraph.co.uk.
Pitcher worked as a journalist for various titles – including The Observer as industrial editor – before co-founding PR firm Luther Pendragon in 1992. Pitcher sold out with his partner in 2005 and is believed to have made millions from the deal.
Pitcher is a non-stipendiary Church of England Deacon at St Brides, working with vicar Canon David Meara.
Previous Daily Telegraph religious affairs correspondent Jonathan Petre left the company last month as part of a round of exits from the paper.
Pitcher will be part of a new religious affairs team working across the Telegraph platforms comprising: Martin Beckford, religious affairs correspondent for The Daily Telegraph, Jonathan Wynne-Jones, religious affairs xorrespondent for The Sunday Telegraph and Damian Thompson who will continue his blog Holy Smoke and make regular contributions to the newspaper and website comment pages
Telegraph editor in chief William Lewis said: ‘I am delighted that George has returned to full time journalism with The Telegraph.
‘His appointment combines long-standing experience of journalism and first hand knowledge of not just the Anglican Church but also other major religious networks. The changes to the team will help ensure that the Telegraph remains the must read, both in paper and online, for all those interested in religious affairs.’
In a separate move, Tim Woodward has been promoted to executive editor, news, for Telegraph Media Group.
The company said this means he will oversee the integration of news in the early morning from 6am and chair a new 7am conference.
He moves from assistant editor, news, for The Sunday Telegraph.
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