Despite unprecedented pressure and challenges of social media, journalists must be ‘beacons of truth’ holding those in power to account’, says former Sunday Express editor in his Laureate’s address.
Veteran journalist David Wooding has been named the London Press Club’s Journalist Laureate 2025, receiving the honour at the Club’s Christmas Ball at The Peninsula Hotel in London on 1 December.
Accepting the prestigious accolade, Wooding delivered a powerful and timely message to his peers, urging them to “become beacons of truth” at a moment when journalism is under unprecedented strain.
“As the first quarter of the 21st century draws to a close, journalism faces perhaps its toughest period of change and challenge,” he told the festive gathering of senior editors and correspondents.
Reflecting on the seismic changes across his distinguished career he said: “My generation lived through the switch from hot metal and typewriters to full-colour, computerised newspapers.
“When I first came to Fleet Street, checking facts involved a visit to the library and cut and paste meant literally that.”
Turning to the modern newsroom, he warned of the pressures facing the industry. “As print sales decline, more stories are being published on digital platforms, heaping constant pressure on journalists to produce vast amounts of copy at a much faster pace.”
Social media, he added, had made it “harder than ever for the general public to form an opinion based on facts or insightful analysis.”
Yet despite the challenges, his message remained hopeful. “So, more than ever, it is down to journalists themselves to set standards and become beacons of truth,” he urged.
“We must never forget our central mission to inform, entertain, educate and hold those in power to account. The future is in our own hands. Let’s seize it.”
The award was presented by Robert Jobson and Ray Massey, Co-Chairs of the Ball and Joint Deputy Chairs of the London Press Club, and Chairman Doug Wills.
Wooding’s wife Pat, who is Deputy Editor of the Daily Star, was present to see him receive one of the Club’s most prestigious honours at the glittering annual Ball sponsored by media, publishing and events company St James’s House Group.
Massey and Jobson said: “David’s honour is richly deserved. He is one of the most respected journalists of his generation; a true gentleman of Fleet Street who rose from cub reporter to the editor’s chair.”
Wooding began his career on the Prescot and Huyton Reporter before becoming News Editor of the Lancashire Evening Post & Chronicle.
He later worked for the Daily Mail and the Press Association as North West Correspondent, before moving permanently onto the London stage at the Daily Express, Today, and The Sun. Senior editorial roles followed — News Editor of the Sunday People, Assistant Editor at The Sun, and Associate Editor (Politics) at the News of the World and then The Sun on Sunday. He went on to serve with distinction as Editor of the Sunday Express, a role that crowned decades of Fleet Street leadership.
For more than 25 years on the Westminster beat, he interviewed every Prime Minister since Tony Blair, becoming one of the most authoritative political journalists of his era. His broadcast work made him a familiar voice and face across the country: BBC Radio 5 Live, Newsnight, Sky News, Good Morning Britain, LBC, TalkRadio, This Morning, BBC Breakfast and GB News: consistently informed, concise and fair.
Beyond the political battlefield, Wooding is known among colleagues for his passion for classical music, the Proms, opera and, with lifelong love of Liverpool FC – interests that reveal the depth and humanity behind the bylines.
His name now joins a distinguished roll of Journalist Laureates inducted into the hall of fame since the honour was created by the London Press Club in 2018 to celebrate excellence in journalism: Paul Dacre, Eve Pollard (Lady Lloyd), Nick Ferrari, Arthur Edwards MBE, Bill Hagerty, Ian Walker and Sir Don McCullin CBE.
The Peninsula London, a new venue for the Ball, provided an elegant backdrop for a night that celebrated not only Wooding’s achievements, but the enduring value of
serious journalism – a craft he has championed for more than four decades with integrity, clarity and unwavering purpose.
The Ball also raised funds for good causes linked to journalism.
