ABOUT ME

Named, Blamed and Shamed Blog Editor,
Harry Blackwood.

It's not a term I'm totally comfortable with, but I was once described as "a seeker of truth and justice". I'm flattered that anyone would think that of me. I'm happy to accept it and I guess most people who know me would go along with it as well.

I've been married to my wife Deborah for more than 30 years and she's my best friend as well as my wife. She has stood by me during shitty times that would break most people. It sounds twee to say it but she's my rock. She keeps me grounded and keeps me true.

We have three grown-up children. Jessica, Jamie and Ben. I'm proud and privileged to be their dad.

I grew up in Hartlepool on a large council estate called Owton Manor. The Manor as its always known. It's a working class town in the North-East of England. It's best known for the monkey legend but only by living there could you understand why it's often called the biggest village in the world. Population more than 90,000 and while I wouldn't go as far as to say that everyone knows each other, it's pretty damned close to that. If they don't know you personally, they know your mam or your dad or your brother or your sister or your wife or your best mate . . .  or a lad you went to school with, or someone you once worked with or . . . oh, you get the picture.

When I was 25 I got into journalism by the side door thanks to a fantastic bloke called Arthur Pickering who sneaked me in when nobody was looking. Arthur managed to persuade my first editor to take a chance on a gobby, long-haired, sports mad bloke with a bad attitude and worse dress sense.

Peter Chislett was that editor. He was a bit of a cold fish but he had a sharp mind, a huge intellect and knew journalism inside out. He was a proper, old school journalist as was Arthur Pickering. I couldn't have had a better start.

Peter Chislett had me sussed straight away. In one of our first one to one chats he said to me "I get the impression that you came into journalism because you want to change the world".

I nodded and Peter followed up with "Well, I wish you well with that but I suggest you start by changing just your little bit".

That's what I've been doing ever since; chipping away, doing things I believed in, campaigning against injustice and sticking my head above the parapet far too often. But it's never been enough.

You know what? I really do want to change the world. The whole world. Not just bits pf it and I reckon it's high time I did something about it.

I can't do it on my own. I need your help. So how about it? Fancy joining me in changing the world?

The aim is simple. Just four things: LOVE. HONESTY. COMPASSION. FAIRNESS.

Welcome. I know you're with me. How could you not be?

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