Editing The Spectator (section)

==2006–present==
[[File:22 Old Queen Street, Westminster, December 2023.jpg|thumb|right|22 Old Queen Street, Westminster, the home of ''The Spectator'' since 2007]]

===Matthew d'Ancona===
[[Matthew d'Ancona|D’Ancona]] had been Deputy Editor at ''[[The Sunday Telegraph]]'', and before that an assistant editor at ''The Times''. During his four years as editor of ''The Spectator'', he made several editorial and structural changes to the magazine, "not all of which were universally popular with readers". He ended the traditional summary of the week's events, "Portrait of the Week", and in 2006 launched a new lifestyle section entitled "You Earned It". He removed [[Peter Oborne]] as political editor, and appointed [[Fraser Nelson]] in his place.  He decided not to appoint a new media columnist to succeed [[Stephen Glover (columnist)|Stephen Glover]], explaining, "I do not think ''The Spectator'' needs a media columnist. Our pages are precious and I do not think the internal wranglings of our trade are high on the list of ''Spectator'' readers’ priorities."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brook |first=Stephen |date=9 May 2006 |title=Spectator editor says no to media columnist |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/may/09/pressandpublishing?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487 |url-status=live |access-date=19 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201211152/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/may/09/pressandpublishing?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487 |archive-date=1 February 2015}}</ref>

Perhaps the magazine's most important innovation under d’Ancona was the Coffee House blog, led by [[Peter Hoskin]] and [[James Forsyth (journalist)|James Forsyth]], launched in May 2007.<ref name="the new Editor of The Spectator">{{Cite web |date=28 August 2009 |title=Fraser Nelson is the new Editor of The Spectator |url=http://conservativehome.blogs.com/thetorydiary/2009/08/fraser-nelson-is-new-editor-of-the-spectator.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620095838/http://conservativehome.blogs.com/thetorydiary/2009/08/fraser-nelson-is-new-editor-of-the-spectator.html |archive-date=20 June 2012 |access-date=19 August 2012 |publisher=Conservative Home}}</ref> In 2007, ''The Spectator'' moved its offices from Doughty Street, which had been its home for 32 years, to 22 Old Queen Street in Westminster. ''The Spectator Australia'' was launched in October 2008. Apparently printed in Australia at the same time as, and with almost all the content of, the parent edition it finds its own cover illustrations and its first dozen pages are Australian.<ref>[https://www.crikey.com.au/2009/02/20/alarms-sound-as-the-australian-spectator-launches/ Crikey] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303214934/https://www.crikey.com.au/2009/02/20/alarms-sound-as-the-australian-spectator-launches/ |date=3 March 2021 }} 20 February 2009, accessed 12 February 2021</ref> Circulation reached a weekly average of 10,389 in January to December 2020.<ref>[https://www.abc.org.uk/product/16941 Audit Bureau of Circulations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418022244/https://www.abc.org.uk/product/16941 |date=18 April 2021 }} accessed 12 February 2021</ref>

===Fraser Nelson===
In August 2009, [[Fraser Nelson]] replaced d'Ancona as editor of ''The Spectator''. In 2010, he unveiled a slight redesign of the paper, shrinking the cover illustration slightly, shifting the cover lines, in general, to the bottom, and spreading the contents section over a double-page. Playing down the changes, Nelson described the new look as "a tidy-up&nbsp;... rather like restoring an old painting."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Robinson |first=James |date=15 September 2010 |title=The Spectator unveils new look |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/sep/15/the-spectator-redesign |url-status=live |access-date=19 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150531115937/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/sep/15/the-spectator-redesign |archive-date=31 May 2015}}</ref>

An article in November 2011 by [[Rod Liddle]] on the trial of two men eventually convicted for the [[murder of Stephen Lawrence]] led to the [[Crown Prosecution Service]] (CPS) deciding to prosecute the magazine for breaching reporting restrictions.<ref>Owen Boycott [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/may/09/spectator-magazine-charge-lawrence-trial "Spectator magazine to face charge over article on Stephen Lawrence trial"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101093809/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/may/09/spectator-magazine-charge-lawrence-trial |date=1 January 2017 }}, ''The Guardian'', 9 May 2012.</ref> The magazine chose not to contest the case,<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18005905 "Spectator charged over Stephen Lawrence article"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822021819/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18005905 |date=22 August 2018 }}, BBC News, 9 May 2012.</ref> and the publisher Spectator 1828 Ltd pleaded guilty at the court hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court on 7 June 2012.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130421084151/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9316373/Spectator-magazine-fined-5000-over-Stephen-Lawrence.html "Spectator magazine fined £5,000 over Stephen Lawrence"], ''Daily Telegraph'', 7 June 2012.</ref> The magazine was fined £3,000, with £2,000 compensation awarded to Stephen Lawrence's parents and £625 costs.<ref>Josh Halliday [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/07/spectator-rod-liddle-stephen-lawrence "Spectator to pay out £5,625 over Rod Liddle's Stephen Lawrence article"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101092825/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/07/spectator-rod-liddle-stephen-lawrence |date=1 January 2017 }}, ''The Guardian'', 7 June 2012.</ref> According to Nelson, readers' most common reaction to the columnist was "don't tone down Rod", but "our non-readers don't like" him.<ref>Dan Sabbagh [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/feb/17/fraser-nelson-spectator-rod-liddle "Fraser Nelson: The Spectator is more cocktail party than political party"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312002823/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/feb/17/fraser-nelson-spectator-rod-liddle |date=12 March 2017 }}, ''The Guardian'', 17 February 2013.</ref> In June 2013, The Spectator Archive was launched,<ref>[http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/06/welcome-to-the-spectator-archive-180-years-of-history-now-online/ "Welcome to The Spectator Archive: 180 years of history now online"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024140248/http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/06/welcome-to-the-spectator-archive-180-years-of-history-now-online/ |date=24 October 2013 }}, Sebastian Payne, 10 June 2013.</ref> containing 1.5 million pages from 180 years of published articles. In July 2013, the magazine ran a column by [[Taki Theodoracopulos]] defending the far-right Greek political party [[Golden Dawn (Greece)|Golden Dawn]], which drew criticism.<ref>{{Cite web |last=York |first=Chris |date=23 July 2013 |title=Spectator Article Defending Greece's Golden Dawn By Taki Theodoracopulos Causes Uproar |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/07/23/taki-theodoracopulos-golden-dawn-spectator-_n_3640139.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213942/https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/07/23/taki-theodoracopulos-golden-dawn-spectator-_n_3640139.html |archive-date=2 June 2021 |access-date=31 May 2021 |website=[[HuffPost UK]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hollander |first=Gavriel |date=23 July 2013 |title=Spectator editor defends column supporting Greek far-right party Golden Dawn |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/spectator-editor-defends-column-supporting-greek-far-right-party-golden-dawn/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602215342/https://pressgazette.co.uk/spectator-editor-defends-column-supporting-greek-far-right-party-golden-dawn/ |archive-date=2 June 2021 |access-date=31 May 2021 |website=[[Press Gazette]]}}</ref> In May 2018, Theodoracopulos published a column defending the [[Wehrmacht]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Theodoracopulos |first=Taki |date=17 May 2018 |title=The other side of D-Day |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/high-life-17-may-2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117153100/https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/high-life-17-may-2018 |archive-date=17 November 2020 |access-date=28 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=18 May 2018 |title=Respected British magazine publishes defense of Nazi German troops |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/respected-british-magazine-publishes-defense-of-nazi-german-troops/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213841/https://www.timesofisrael.com/respected-british-magazine-publishes-defense-of-nazi-german-troops/ |archive-date=2 June 2021 |access-date=31 May 2021 |website=[[Times of Israel]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=17 May 2018 |title=British magazine publishes article calling Nazis the heroes of D-Day |url=https://www.jta.org/2018/05/17/global/far-right-british-columnist-calls-german-troops-heroes-d-day |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214351/https://www.jta.org/2018/05/17/global/far-right-british-columnist-calls-german-troops-heroes-d-day |archive-date=2 June 2021 |access-date=31 May 2021 |website=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]}}</ref>

In August 2015, ''The Spectator'' received media attention and criticism after publishing an article by [[Charles Moore (journalist)|Charles Moore]] regarding the [[2015 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|2015 Labour Party leadership election]] titled "Have [[Yvette Cooper]] and [[Liz Kendall]] got the looks for a leadership contest?", in which he wrote "there is an understanding that no leader – especially, despite the age of equality, a woman – can look grotesque on television and win a general election" and discussed the looks of the two female candidates in detail. The article was condemned by Liz Kendall; the [[First Minister of Scotland]], [[Nicola Sturgeon]]; and the candidate for Labour nomination for [[Mayor of London]] and former Minister and MP [[Tessa Jowell]] along with several journalists and MPs from various parties.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 August 2015 |title=Row over 'sexist' Kendall and Cooper article |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2015-08-23/spectator-under-fire-over-sexist-article-on-liz-kendall-and-yvette-cooper-looks |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301012754/http://www.itv.com/news/2015-08-23/spectator-under-fire-over-sexist-article-on-liz-kendall-and-yvette-cooper-looks |archive-date=1 March 2021 |access-date=11 March 2021 |website=ITV News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1= York |first1=Chris |website=The Huffington Post |date=23 August 2015 |title=This Spectator Article On Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall Is All Kinds Of 1950s Wrong |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/08/23/charles-morris-yvette-cooper-liz-kendal_n_8026796.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150824181950/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/08/23/charles-morris-yvette-cooper-liz-kendal_n_8026796.html |archive-date=24 August 2015 |access-date=24 August 2015}}</ref>

In 2018, Nelson and deputy editor [[Freddy Gray (journalist)|Freddy Gray]] launched a digital-only version of ''The Spectator USA''. The monthly print magazine ''The Spectator US Edition'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=October |url=https://spectatorworld.com/magazine/october-2019/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111212224/https://spectatorworld.com/magazine/october-2019/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |access-date=11 January 2022 |website=The Spectator World |language=en-US}}</ref> alongside the website spectator.us, was launched with the Inaugural Edition in October 2019 and the publication surpassed 10,000 subscribers in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Silvera |first=Ian |title=A little less snark, a little more mischief from The Spectator USA |url=https://www.news-future.com/p/a-little-less-snark-a-little-more |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120071316/https://www.news-future.com/p/a-little-less-snark-a-little-more |archive-date=20 January 2021 |access-date=22 January 2021 |website=www.news-future.com}}</ref> For the October 2020 issue, the title was changed to ''The Spectator Est. 1828'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=October |url=https://spectatorworld.com/magazine/october-2020/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113093024/https://spectatorworld.com/magazine/october-2020/ |archive-date=13 January 2022 |access-date=11 January 2022 |website=The Spectator World |language=en-US}}</ref> with the website remaining the same. For the June 2021 issue, the website changed to spectatorworld.com as the name changed again to ''The Spectator World''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=June |url=https://spectatorworld.com/magazine/june-2021/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111211221/https://spectatorworld.com/magazine/june-2021/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |access-date=11 January 2022 |website=The Spectator World |language=en-US}}</ref>

In June 2023, it was reported that, following a breakdown in discussions relating to a financial dispute, [[Lloyds Bank]] was planning to take over control of the companies owning the ''[[Daily Telegraph]]'' and ''Spectator'' titles and sell them off.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sweney |first=Mark |date=2023-06-06 |title=Telegraph parent company faces being put into administration |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/jun/06/telegraph-parent-company-faces-being-put-into-administration |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240616162659/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/jun/06/telegraph-parent-company-faces-being-put-into-administration |archive-date=2024-06-16 |access-date=2023-06-07 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kleinman |first=Mark |date=7 June 2023 |title=Lloyds to launch £600m Telegraph auction after seizing control |url=https://news.sky.com/story/lloyds-to-launch-600m-telegraph-auction-after-seizing-control-12897863 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240616163115/https://news.sky.com/story/lloyds-to-launch-600m-telegraph-auction-after-seizing-control-12897863 |archive-date=2024-06-16 |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=Sky News |language=en}}</ref> Representatives of the Barclay family have described the reports as "irresponsible".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ponsford |first=Dominic |date=2023-06-07 |title=Barclay family says reports Telegraph will enter administration are 'unfounded' |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/telegraph-administration-barclays/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240616163440/https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/telegraph-administration-barclays/ |archive-date=2024-06-16 |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=Press Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref> That same month, Telegraph Media Group Limited (TMG) was put up for sale, after its parent company B.UK, a Bermuda-based holding company, went into receivership. Howard and Aidan Barclay were removed as directors.<ref name="Receivership BBC">{{cite news |date=7 June 2023 |title=Telegraph Media Group set to be put up for sale |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65835312 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240616154313/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65835312 |archive-date=2024-06-16 |access-date=7 June 2023 |work=BBC News}}</ref> When a company linked to the United Arab Emirates attempted to buy TMG, chairman Andrew Neil threatened to quit, saying: "You cannot have a major mainstream newspaper group owned by an undemocratic government or dictatorship where no one has a vote."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cahill |first1=Helen |title=Telegraph bid should be blocked, says Andrew Neil |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/media/article/telegraph-bid-should-be-blocked-says-andrew-neil-5t7lt3zcd}}</ref> Fraser Nelson, editor of ''The Spectator'', also opposed the move, saying "the very reason why a foreign government would want to buy a sensitive asset is the very reason why a national government should be wary of selling them."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nelson |first1=Fraser |date=26 January 2024 |title=Fraser Nelson: governments should never own our press |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast/fraser-nelson-governments-should-never-own-our-press/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240616164110/https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcast/fraser-nelson-governments-should-never-own-our-press/ |archive-date=2024-06-16 |access-date=31 January 2024 |website=The Spectator |location=13:38-13:47}}</ref>

=== 2024 acquisition by Paul Marshall ===
{{further|The Daily Telegraph#2023–2024 takeover bid}}
On 10 September 2024, ''The Spectator'' was purchased for £100 million by [[Paul Marshall (investor)|Sir Paul Marshall]], hedge fund manager and co-owner of [[GB News]].<ref>{{cite news |date=10 September 2024 |title=GB News owner buys Spectator magazine for £100m |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn8l35xl1l2o |access-date=12 September 2024 |work=BBC News}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{cite news |last1=Thomas |first1=Daniel |last2=Fisher |first2=Lucy |date=10 September 2024 |title=Paul Marshall bolsters media baron credentials with £100mn Spectator purchase |url=https://www.ft.com/content/05895515-c8ec-475b-a6fe-406c9741a844 |access-date=12 September 2024 |work=Financial Times}}</ref> The final price came after a bidding war against [[Rupert Murdoch]],<ref name=":12">{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Christopher |date=2024-09-10 |title=Andrew Neil, The Spectator's big beast, goes down swinging after £100m takeover by GB News tycoon |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/09/10/gb-news-owner-paul-marshall-completes-deal-the-spectator/ |access-date=2025-04-03 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> and was more than double the £40m valuation given by media analysts.<ref name=":02" />

''Spectator'' chairman [[Andrew Neil]], who clashed with Marshall during his brief tenure at GB News, announced his resignation with immediate effect one hour after the deal was completed.<ref name=":02" /> He warned Marshall over editorial independence,<ref name=":12" /> telling ''Spectator'' staff: "My greatest regret is that I have not been able to find you a new home guaranteed to nurture the unique chemistry of ''The Spectator''. [...] I cannot tell if the new owners will have the same reverence for editorial independence since they have not shared their thinking."<ref name=":02" /> Neil had previously opposed Marshall's bid, telling the [[The i Paper|''i'']] in March: "With Marshall it’s just a matter of we don’t like him and we don’t want him. That’s a personal preference."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sherwin |first=Adam |date=2024-03-12 |title=Andrew Neil set to leave Spectator even if UAE Telegraph takeover fails |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/andrew-neil-uae-telegraph-deal-quit-2953162 |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=The i Paper |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Spectator was sold by [[RedBird Capital Partners|Redbird IMI]], whose CEO Jeff Zucker had previously called Marshall "unfit to own a newspaper", due to [[Paul Marshall (investor)#Engagement with far-right Twitter content|his activity on Twitter]], when Marshall and RedBird were battling to take control of ''The Telegraph''.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Oliver |first1=Matt |last2=Riley-Smith |first2=Ben |date=2024-03-08 |title=GB News |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/03/08/andrew-neil-opposed-uae-telegraph-claims-refused-job/ |access-date=2025-04-03 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> A Conservative MP told the ''Financial Times'' that Marshall's agenda "was one of destroying the Conservative party and having a new form of Trumpism in the UK", referencing populist GB News coverage. Another Conservative MP, on the right of the party, welcomed Marshall's proprietorship, describing Marshall as "thoughtful and interested in ideas, not tribally Conservative but committed to the best traditions of liberal democracy".<ref name=":03">{{cite news |last1=Thomas |first1=Daniel |last2=Fisher |first2=Lucy |date=10 September 2024 |title=Paul Marshall bolsters media baron credentials with £100mn Spectator purchase |url=https://www.ft.com/content/05895515-c8ec-475b-a6fe-406c9741a844 |access-date=12 September 2024 |work=Financial Times}}</ref> The acquisition included ''The Spectator's'' sister title ''[[Apollo (magazine)|Apollo]]'' and added both titles to Marshall's OQS Media group, to be jointly published with [[UnHerd]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Maher |first=Bron |date=10 September 2024 |title=Paul Marshall pledges to fix 'underinvestment' in Spectator as sale goes through |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/magazines/paul-marshall-spectator-acquisition-underinvestment/ |work=Pres Gazette}}</ref> OQS chief executive Freddie Sayers indicated an intent to expand in North America.<ref name=":03" /> 

On 25 September 2024, former [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]] [[Michael Gove]] was appointed as editor of ''The Spectator'', replacing Fraser Nelson, who became associate editor, with [[Charles Moore, Baron Moore of Etchingham|Charles Moore]] becoming non-executive chair to replace Andrew Neil.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rayner |first=Gordon |date=2024-09-25 |title=Michael Gove takes helm in new era for The Spectator |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/09/25/michael-gove-appointed-editor-spectator/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/2024.09.25-135959/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/09/25/michael-gove-appointed-editor-spectator/ |archive-date=2024-09-25 |access-date=2025-04-03 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> Gove is considered a long-standing ally of Paul Marshall.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Geoghegan |first=Peter |date=2025-03-06 |title=Making Media Great Again |url=https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n04/peter-geoghegan/making-media-great-again |access-date=2025-04-03 |work=London Review of Books |language=en |volume=47 |issue=4 |issn=0260-9592}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Graystone |first=Andrew |date=2024-03-27 |title=The Marshall Plan |url=https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/65415/the-marshall-plan-paul-marshall-gb-news |archive-date= |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=Prospect Magazine |language=en}}</ref> The ''[[New Statesman]]'' reported that ''Spectator'' staff were shocked at Nelson being replaced, after Nelson had written an article praising Marshall when the acquisition was announced.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Phillips |first=Alison |date=2024-09-25 |title=Paul Marshall anoints Michael Gove as editor of the Spectator |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/media/2024/09/paul-marshall-anoints-michael-gove-as-editor-of-the-spectator |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=New Statesman |language=en-US}}</ref> One week earlier, Nelson had told the [[British Society of Magazine Editors]] that editors should "actively ignore" suggestions from owners, adding: "If you get sacked for it, you get sacked for it – but you hold the line. Famous last words." Regarding Marshall, he said: "I should be having no contact with him. In the same way I had no contact with the Barclays when they owned The Spectator."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tobitt |first=Charlotte |date=2024-09-25 |title=Michael Gove to replace Fraser Nelson as Spectator editor under new ownership |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/magazines/michael-gove-to-replace-fraser-nelson-as-spectator-editor-under-new-ownership/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/2025.04.03-134635/https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/magazines/michael-gove-to-replace-fraser-nelson-as-spectator-editor-under-new-ownership/ |archive-date=2025-04-03 |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=Press Gazette |language=en-US |quote=Speaking on a panel for the British Society of Magazine Editors less than a week ago, Nelson said the relationship between editor and proprietor should be “no relationship at all”. “The editor is backed or sacked but never second guessed, never steered,” he said, adding that Marshall “obviously likes us, he paid £100m for us – but I should be having no contact with him. In the same way I had no contact with the Barclays when they owned The Spectator. I think in 15 years they spoke to me about ten times.” Nelson added that editors should “actively ignore” suggestions from proprietors and that: “If you get sacked for it, you get sacked for it – but you hold the line. Famous last words.”}}</ref>