Lloyd Turner (journalist)

Lloyd Turner (2 October 1938 – 12 September 1996) was a newspaper editor in the United Kingdom.

Born in Australia, Turner worked on the Newcastle Morning Herald before moving to England to work as a journalist at the Manchester Evening News. He subsequently relocated to London to work on the Daily Express, where he became Father of the Chapel of the newspaper's National Union of Journalists. During this period, he founded the "84 Club", a drinking club, with Peter Tory.^[1]

After working for many years as chief sub editor of the Express, Turner was appointed editor of its stablemate, the Daily Star. He increased its sales, at the expense of the Daily Mirror, but was sacked in 1987 after being convicted of libelling Jeffrey Archer,^[1] by claiming that he had had sex with prostitute Monica Coghlan. Archer was awarded a then-record £500,000 in damages but, in 2001, Archer was convicted of perjury and perverting the course of justice at the 1987 trial, and was imprisoned.^[2]

Out of journalism, Turner bought a farm and began rearing bulls, but returned to journalism as an assistant editor of Today, serving until the paper closed. He then worked as an advisor to the National Farmers Union on BSE until his death, at which time he was planning to again return to an editorial post, this time on the Daily Mail.^[1]

References

1. "Obituary: Lloyd Turner", The Times, September 1996
2. "'Gotcha' says editor's widow", Daily Telegraph, 22 July 2001