Education
Born in Birkenhead, England, George Withy attended Park High School (Birkenhead), leaving at the age of 16 with six o-levels.
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George Withy
Edit ProfileCareer
He then began his career in journalism, when he joined the old Birkenhead News as a junior reporter. And at the young age of 18, spent a fortnight working as a holiday relief editor of the Bebington News. From 1942 to 1947, he served with the Royal Artillery during World World War II as a wireless operator and signals expert.
After the war, he returned to the Birkenhead News to take charge of their Heswall and Deeside edition and to act as holiday relief editor of the Bebington News.
After 18 months, he took up a post as chief reporter for the Redditch Indicator and in 1950, joined the Birmingham Post and Mail, as district reporter, working out of their Redditch offices. In 1952, he was invited to return to the Redditch Indicator as editors
He stayed there for 8 years, transforming the paper from an 8-page "old-fashioned" format, to a 16-page "modern design". And celebrating the newspaper"s centenary through publication of a special edition
In 1960, he returned to Merseyside to work at the Liverpool Daily Post as sub-editors
Later, he became Assistant News Editor and Chief Sub-Editor for the Post and then joined the Liverpool Echo in 1970, where he was Night News Editor for many years before becoming Assistant Editor and retiring from the Echo in 1989. Following his retirement, he worked part-time at Candis Magazine for several years. In Merseyside, George Withy became synonymous with the Institute of Journalists (IOJ), now the Chartered Institute of Journalists and was for many years the Liverpool District Chairman as well as the Chairman of the National Salaries and Conditions Board, also at one point serving as a Rugby Union reporter for The Daily Telegraph.
He served twice as Chairman of the National Council for the Training of Journalists (1971 & 1972) and also served for a number of years on the Press Council (United Kingdom).
On March 1, 1998, he was awarded a life Fellowship of the CIOJ.
Politics
He was a former President of the CIOJ (1975–1976) and at their 1975 conference in the Isle of Wight, he warned of "creeping Marxism" in the newspaper and magazine industry.
