Wendy Henry is a former British journalist and newspaper editor.
Henry was born inLancashire, England, in 1951,[citation needed] and with her twin sister Sara left their mother's house inSt Annes on Sea in the late 1960s to move toManchester to live with their father, aJewish market trader.[1][2] By the age of eighteen, she had become a mother during a short-lived marriage.[2][3]
In their youth, Henry and her sister were active in theInternational Socialists.[4][5] In 1972, she was given anabsolute discharge after being accused of attempting to throw a carton of milk atEdward Heath when he visitedSalford.[6] Her involvement in radical activism at theUniversity of Manchester was spotted by Brian Whittle, Brian Taylor and Peter Reece, who took her on at the Manchester News Service.[7]
In 1975, Henry was appointed to a six-month trial with theDaily Mail in Manchester, but was not given a permanent position. "I didn’t dress properly; they thought I was too scruffy," she told aPress Gazette interviewer in 2002.[8][9] During her early career as a freelance, she did manage to gain a scoop in 1976, an interview with Geraldine Ellis, the daughter ofRuth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, which she managed to sell to theNews of the World.[3][10] For three years, she worked as an unattached freelance for theNews of the World, then become features editor ofWoman.[3] She joinedThe Sun in 1981 as the newspaper's books reader identifying those suitable for potential serialisation, then assistant editor (features), as the deputy ofRoy Greenslade. Unlike most of her colleagues, Henry was inclined to stand up to editorKelvin MacKenzie.[11] She was the first journalist to report thatPrincess Margaret was having a relationship withRoddy Llewellyn.[1]
According to Greenslade, during theFalklands War, when she heard that theGeneral Belgrano had been sunk, she joked "Gotcha", which was used by editorKelvin MacKenzie as aSun headline.[12] She was suspended for a month in June 1985 on full-pay by MacKenzie, who was aware of Murdoch's displeasure, for her involvement in the fabrication of an interview with the seriously injured Falklands veteranSimon Weston. He had refused to be interviewed byThe Sun and publicly complained, a story which was taken up by the rivalDaily Mirror.[13][14]
Henry was then promoted to editor of theNews of the World's Sunday magazine,[9] before being appointed editor of the newspaper in 1987.[15] She managed to increase the circulation of theNews of the World by 400,000, but by means which even MacKenzie was reported to have found excessive. The tabloids were then under official pressure for their excesses. "Sales aren't everything, Wendy", proprietorRupert Murdoch is reported to have told her. She resigned rather than modify her editorial policy.[16][17]
In 1988, Henry was appointed byRobert Maxwell as editor of theSunday People,[15][18] where she was able to have more input into theleading articles.[19] Whilst there she became known for publishing controversial pictures, including victims of theSioux City air crash in July 1989, which apparently led to a first warning about her future from Maxwell.[20] It was for publishing a photograph of an ailingSammy Davis Jr (showing scars he had from his treatment for throat cancer), and another of seven-year-oldPrince William urinating in public, both in the issue of 19 November 1989, for which she was sacked.[21][18][22][23] According toJoe Haines, Maxwell could not remember the reason he had sacked Henry, for both photographs or which one of them.[24] However, Maxwell toldHugo Young, that it was the picture of Davis which had led to Henry's sacking.[20] In 1990, she moved to the United States to become editor ofThe Globe, remaining at the title until 1993.[15]
Although she has been described as the first femaleFleet Street editor, she was preceded byDelarivier Manley (1711),Rachel Beer (1891–1904) andMary Howarth (1903).[25]
In the mid-1990s she producedA Current Affair onFox. She went on to edit the "Spotlight" supplement of theNew York Daily News from its launch,[9] and thenSuccessful Slimming before returning to London to launch a British edition.[26] She next worked for Parkhill Publishing alongsideEve Pollard,[9] and spent a year editingReal Homes, during this period circulation increased by 7%.[26]
Henry became Press Officer forBattersea Dogs Home in 1997,[15] and was later secretary to several committees at the centre. In 2002, she began working for them as a full-time dog re-socialiser.[9][27] In 2004, she joined noSWeat journalism training as a Professor of Anecdotes.[28]
| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Editor of theNews of the World 1987–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Editor ofThe Sun 1988–1989 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Editor of theSunday People 1989 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by ? | Editor ofThe Globe 1990–1993 | Succeeded by ? |