Ethel Simpson

Ethel Simpson (2 September 1926 – 12 December 2017) was a pioneering Scottish journalist. She worked to break down gendered barriers within journalism and was one of the first female chief reporters at the Aberdeen Press and Journal.[1]

Ethel Simpson
Photo of Ethel Simpson
Born2 September 1926
Died12 December 2017
NationalityScottish
Known forbeing a pioneering woman journalist

Early life

Ethel was born in Banff on 2 September 1926 to a farming family.[2] She attended Keithhall Primary School and then Inverurie Academy. After completing a shorthand typing course at Webster's College, she joined the Aberdeen Press and Journal in 1944 at age seventeen.[2]

Career

Ethel then became a Junior Reporter for the Aberdeen Press and Journal in 1945, the first woman to do so.[3] In 1955 and 1956, Ethel spent three months on a 10,000 tour of North Africa, writing about her travels. She worked her way up, eventually becoming the Chief Reporter of the Journal in 1975.[1] Ethel pressed for gender equality in the newsroom, and protested when a female reporter was told to go home and change into a skirt.[4] She retired in 1986.[4]

Personal life

Ethel had a daughter, Emma, and two grandsons.[2] She was a staunch royalist and Conservative.[2]

See also

References
  1. Sharman, David. "'Pioneer' Aberdeen Press & Journal reporter dies aged 91 – Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage". HoldtheFrontPage. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  2. "Obituary – Ethel Simpson, doyenne of news reporters who fought for rights of women journalists". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  3. MacDougall, Ian (7 November 2013). Voices of Scottish Journalists: Recollections of 22 Scottish Journalists of Their Life and Work. Birlinn. ISBN 978-0-85790-613-7.
  4. Ferguson, Chris. "Ethel Simpson, former reporter and a trailblazer in journalism". The Courier. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
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