William Thomas Stead
| William Thomas Stead | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
5 July 1849 Embleton, Northumberland, England |
| Died | 15 April 1912 (aged 62) RMS Titanic (sunk), Atlantic Ocean |
| Monuments | New York NY, 91st St and Central Park East and Victoria Embankment in London near to Fleet Street |
| Education | Silcoates School |
| Occupation | Newspaper editor |
| Notable work | The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon |
| Style | Sensationalism |
| Home town | Howdon |
| Salary | £250 a year at the Northern Echo |
| Net worth | £13,000 probate |
| Website | http://www.attackingthedevil.co.uk/ |
William Thomas Stead (5 July 1849 – 15 April 1912) was an English newspaper editor who, as a pioneer of investigative journalism, became a controversial figure of the Victorian era. Stead published a series of hugely influential campaigns whilst editor of The Pall Mall Gazette, and he is best known for his 1885 series of articles, The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon, written in support of a bill to raise the age of consent from 13 to 16, dubbed the "Stead Act."
Stead's 'new journalism' paved the way for the modern tabloid in Great Britain. He was influential in demonstrating how the press could be used to influence public opinion and government policy, and advocated "Government by Journalism". He was also well known for his reportage on child welfare, social legislation and reformation of England's criminal codes.
Stead died aboard the RMS Titanic in its sinking, and was considered to be one of the most famous Englishmen on board.
He was born in Embleton, Northumberland, the son of a Congregational minister, the Rev William Stead and Isabella (née Jobson), a cultivated daughter of a Yorkshire farmer. A year later the family moved to Howdon on the River Tyne, where his younger brother, Francis Herbert Stead, was born. Stead was largely educated at home by his father, and by the age of five he was already well-versed in the Holy Scriptures and is said to have been able to read Latin almost as well as he could read English. It was Stead's mother who perhaps had the most lasting influence on her son's career. One of Stead's favourite childhood memories was of his mother leading a local campaign against the government's controversial Contagious Diseases Acts — which required prostitutes living in garrison towns to undergo medical examination.
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