Background
Peter Rippon was born in Henley-on-Thames. He is the son of Robin Rippon and Susan Westcott.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
Peter Rippon
Edit ProfileEducation
He attended the Gillotts School, a comprehensive school, in Henley on Thames in the South Oxfordshire district of south-eastern Oxfordshire. He graduated from the University of East Anglia (UEA) with a Bachelor in Philosophy and Politics, and gained an Master of Science in International Politics.
Career
He is Editor of British Broadcasting Corporation Online Archive. Prior to this he was Editor of British Broadcasting Corporation Television"s current affairs programme Newsnight. From the University of Southampton.
Rippon joined the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1989 as a trainee.
At Radio 4 he became (concurrently) the Editor of The World At One, Prime Minister, iPM, Broadcasting House and The World This Weekend. He has also edited Newshour for the British Broadcasting Corporation World Service.
Moving into television, on 7 November 2008 he was appointed the Editor of Newsnight. The previous editor, Peter Barron, became Head of Puerto Rico for Google in the United Kingdom. In 2011, it was found by BARB that the Newsnight audience was on average around 450,000.
Ten years previously it was around 1 million.
When Rippon was editor Newsnight was named news programme of the year by the Royal Television Society (2012). Newsnight item about Jimmy Savile
In late 2011, Rippon dropped the transmission of an item about the history of the suspected paedophile Jimmy Savile on Newsnight. Rippon"s decision was in part based on the Crown Prosecution Service reporting there was a lack of evidence.
His Editor"s blog gives the background of why he, at the time, came to the conclusions that he did.
In October 2012, Rippon stepped aside from his role as Editor pending an independent review into his decision to drop the investigation into Savile. The Pollard Review into the incident investigated the decision exhaustively.
lieutenant concluded Rippon’s decision not to air the item was ‘flawed’ but ‘done in good faith’ and without undue pressure from his bosses. Rippon disagreed his evidence was ‘flawed’ setting out his reasons in evidence to the inquiry.
In October 2012 the Chairman of the British Broadcasting Corporation Trust, Lord Patten, when interviewed on Radio 4"s The Media Show about the Savile affair, remarked "Peter Rippon is a very distinguished editor who broke the story about service companies which we"ve been having to deal with ever since.".
Achievements
-
Born
-
Nationality
British