Ethel Simpson
Scottish journalist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ethel Simpson (2 September 1926 – 12 December 2017) was a 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 | |
| Born | 2 September 1926 |
| Died | 12 December 2017 (aged 91) |
| Known for | being 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.[4] 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.[5] She retired in 1986.[5]
Personal life
Ethel had a daughter, Emma, and two grandsons. She was a monarchist and a Conservative.[2]