Journos Departed

Richard Stott, who died on 30th July, is the only man to have edited two national newspapers in the UK - twice - the People and the Daily Mirror. His 2002 book, Dogs and Lampposts is due to be reissued within the next 7/10 days. It tells the tale of the last days of Fleet Street - an expose of the double standards, hypocrisy, lying, cheating and back stabbing at the heart of Britain's public life, by a man who saw it first-hand. One of Stott's last accomplishments before his death was the editing of his friend Alastair Campbell's The Blair Years.

A man who preferred writing news stories to editing them (although he did both) was W F Deedes. There have been many tributes to one of our generation's greatest journalists - the Telegraph special feature being packed with anecdote and memories. His own writing provides a fitting tribute: Words and Deedes which was published in paperback earlier this year recalls a life in which Deedes reported the most important events, affairs and issues that have affected Britain, Europe and the World in a span of 75 years.