Lydia Wilkins was an 18-year-old journalism student in 2017 when she was first introduced to the name ‘Harold Evans’ in a lecture on contempt of court.

She was fascinated by the story of the Thalidomide children, who Evans helped to secure compensation in a landmark case. She ended up visiting the company formerly known as Chemie Grunenthal, the organisation at the heart of the story, less than a year after her graduation. Over email, the former Times and Northern Echo editor would advise her (who he quickly dubbed ‘Sherlock’) on what to look out for, the details and questions to capture.

Evans became a mentor and friend to Wilkins, and in February 2018, she conducted one of the last interviews he would give (when he was then aged 89).

Having watched 2014 documentary Attacking The Devil: Harold Evans And The Last Nazi War Crime, Wilkins asked Evans what ‘devil’ had been the most worthwhile to pursue as a journalist. What follows is an edited extract from the interview…

Evans said “restrictive laws like the contempt (Of Court Act), which probably prevented many ill things being ventilated for the public benefit” have been his biggest foe as they lead to the suppression of truth. When we met in a club in London, he admonished at length “greedy business people, like Distillers, interestingly an all-male board, deciding the fate of mothers and their children.”

Distillers was a liquor company which diversified into pharmaceuticals. It sold Thalidomide under the name Distaval in 1959-61, as licensed by the company then known as Chemie Grunenthal. Distaval was prescribed for morning sickness, but was not safe to use during pregnancy. It attacked the foetus; it would destroy the formation of arms, legs or hands. It would also damage organs, hearing, or sight.

The British government at the time refused to hold a public inquiry, leaving the parents of survivors to sue Distillers, who denied negligence. The Contempt Of Court Act acted as a ban on public discussion of the scandal in the press until the legal claim had been heard, meaning the families were left struggling in silence into the 1970s.

Reflecting on the impact, Evans said that it “stirs the same kind of anger in me as all the Republican senators meeting without a single woman present to discuss women’s health”. Before the overturning of Roe versus Wade, the Trump administration had reconvened at the White House for such a discussion – with no woman present, which did not go unnoticed.

With budgets ever tightening for investigative projects, Evans was keen to stress “there is some very good investigative journalism going on.”, but added “it’s amazing to me how limited it is in its range”. An American citizen, Evans was a fierce critic of the National Rifle Association and an advocate for gun control, verbally plotting what he would do as a campaigning editor: “I would pinpoint those Republicans who are holding up gun control, and what their connections are.”

Advocating for diversity in journalism, he also noted the advantages that this could bring to investigative reporting. Admitting there were too few women under his editorship at The Sunday Times, he said he caused “displeasure by creating the first woman photo editor, because it was thought to be a male occupation. So, clearly today is nothing like as restrictive.”

Evans was most responsive when talking about how people on the Autistic spectrum can be an asset to journalism, noting there “is a whole spectrum there between people with highly specialised skills and certain social inabilities which can be overcome”.

I’m also curious as to what Evans’ advice for journalists today would be. His response reflects his views, seemingly, towards the Leveson Inquiry, and the lack of ethics it revealed.

“Well, realise what journalism ought to be. So, you haven’t succeeded in journalism if you’ve got a scoop by cheap and nasty means, or made somebody’s life miserable without cause. I mean, look at half the tabloid gossip columnists. That’s not journalism, that’s scavenging.

“So, for journalists today, I would say first of all identify what journalism is for you, what are the objects of journalism. And the simple answer is the truth, but it’s very hard to define. Matthew Arnold was good on this: ‘Truth does not lie in the middle.’ On the one hand, Hitler was a maniac, on the other hand Germany needed a strong leader…”

“So I think, as a journalist, respect the dignity, freedom in intelligence, of people you’re going to be reporting on. And don’t make things up.”

My final question is: given his impressive achievements, how would he like to be remembered?

He clanks his teacup in his haste to answer: “What about I’m alive today?”

Gently admonished, there’s laughter in his response, and a wish to “not go upstairs” for the next thousand years. Yet, cut through the laughter, and there’s a meek quality. He answers seriously:

“I’d like to be remembered as Harry. The son of Frederick, the husband of Enid and Tina. The father of Georgie, Izzy, Ruth, Mike, and Kate.”

To read more of this interview, visit Lydia’s Substack newsletter here.

The post Sir Harry Evans on chasing the devil and journalism diversity appeared first on Press Gazette.

Press Gazette’s survey into neurodiversity in the media found that the topic is not just increasingly making headlines, but that there are plenty of neurodivergent people working in journalism in particular.

Those with neurodiverse conditions can get upset at the way they are portrayed in the media – especially when it is suggested conditions are over diagnosed or are not even real.

We spoke to experts in the field to gather advice for reporting on the topic of neurodiversity accurately and sensitively – but first, a summary of what we mean when we use this term.

What is neurodiversity?

Often attributed to the academic Judy Singer, the concept of neurodiversity – the basic idea that everyone’s brain is slightly different, and working with that difference should be standard – has only been in use since the late 1990s.

The conditions that this encompasses include, but are not limited to, autism, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia.

The UK Equality Act (2010) stipulates that a disability is a “physical or mental impairment”, which has a “substantial” or a “long-term” impact on day-to-day activities.

Autism is specifically cited as a disability in the act itself, as an example.

While an individual may prefer to refer to themselves as neurodivergent, with neurodivergence referring to multiple conditions, there is a legal status of the protected characteristic of having a disability.

This allows for reasonable adjustments to be made, such as in employment, a medical setting and education.

Despite individual language preferences, this entitlement to support and to be free of discrimination still exists.

Language guidelines for reporting neurodiversity

There are guidelines that can be quickly Googled when it comes to language.

“Person with autism” is generally considered to be an offensive turn of phrase in the UK, with countless surveys having been conducted; the National Autistic Society (NAS) also has a PDF guide avaliable for free.

While these guidelines (which favour the term “autistic person”) are generally accepted as a standard, a one-on-one interviewee should also be asked about their own language preferences.

Amy Arthur is a science and health journalist and author of: “Pace Yourself: How To Have Energy In An Exhausting World”. She said: “Be wary of using the catch-all term ‘neurodiversity’ when you really mean autism or ADHD.

“I see a lot of people writing about neurodivergent issues that don’t cover the experiences of other types of neurodiversity.

“‘Neurodiverse’ doesn’t just mean ‘non-neurotypical’ either. We’re a wide, varied bunch.

“So, be specific about who you’re talking about and the problems faced.”

Don’t delegitimise neurodivergent conditions in reporting

Rachel Charlton-Dailey is an author and columnist behind The Week In Ableist Bullshit at The Canary.

On Twitter, she was also the creator of the hashtag #MediaAbleismWatch, in response to news articles claiming ADHD does not exist.

She said: “There are far too many articles and op-eds that claim ADHD and autism aren’t real, that the unacceptable language seeps in. Journalists need to check their own biases and ensure they’re not delegitimising neurodivergent people.

“Editors also should where possible be employing ND (neurodivergent) people instead of getting unqualified writers to tell our stories”

Alice Hargreaves is the chief executive of Sick in the City (SIC), a consultancy company focused on closing the disability employment gap.

She said: “I think for me, the biggest thing is that neurodivergence isn’t a ‘trend’.

“And realising that just because we have now got a name that we can put to things, doesn’t mean that ‘this’ wasn’t existing since the beginning of time.”

The social model of disability suggests that it is society that disables a person, in not providing the access arrangements they need – for example, if there is no lift and only stairs inside a building, a wheelchair user can’t go elsewhere in the building.

An autistic person may require a quiet environment with low lighting in order to be able to ‘function’.

These basic requirements are not their fault.

The medical model of disability deems a body that is different to be ‘broken’ and in need of fixing – regardless of the cost – and that it is the own personal failing of a person to not get better.

Language that is indicative of suffering or personal failure, or that suggests a neurodivergent person is “in it for the money”, is as outdated as it is offensive.

Stella Young, an activist, coined the term ‘inspiration porn’ to describe how disabled individuals, including neurodivergent folks, are not just an inspiration for living their lives each day. Copy should reflect this to capture the full, original nuance.

Increase in diagnosis or increased awareness?

Historically the diagnostic criteria for varying neurodivergent conditions has typically been geared towards particular demographics: for example, autism as a medical diagnosis has generally been more in ‘favour’ of white males in comparison to females.

However, like with every type of medical condition, diagnostic criteria can be refined over time.

Factually there is no ‘increase’ or ‘explosion’ in diagnosis’ – only greater awareness and refined diagnostic criteria.

Hester Grainger is the co-founder of Perfectly Autistic, a workplace neurodiversity consultancy.

She was the features editor for Buckinghamshire and Berkshire Living Magazine and has contributed to other publications as a freelance writer.

She was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 43 while her husband, Kelly, has been diagnosed as autistic.

When asked about the impact of stereotypes, she said: “Education and awareness is key, so journalists understand about ADHD and know that everyone is different.

“There may be similar traits but one size doesn’t fit all with neurodiversity.

“The sooner the press realises this the better, rather than using damaging and outdated stereotypes.”

The post Reporting neurodiversity: ‘Don’t get unqualified writers to tell our stories’ appeared first on Press Gazette.