Former Mirror's Editor-in-Chief Alison Phillips is joining the Reuters Institute as a Visiting Fellow in April 2024

Alison Phillips is joining the Reuters Institute as a Visiting Fellow in April 2024. Phillips, who has just stepped down as the Mirror's Editor-in-Chief, will be working on issues around popular journalism, a field at which she's conducted an impactful career. During her time in Oxford, she'll share her experiences and her learnings with our Journalist Fellows and with the rest of the Institute's community.

Alison Phillips served as Editor-in-Chief of the Mirror from 2018 until 2024 during which time she was responsible for the Daily, Sunday and digital editions. During her time as editor, the Mirror was Daily Newspaper of the Year in 2022 and News Media Organisation of the Year in 2022. She was responsible for leading the Mirror through COVID-19 and as it broke the string of exclusive stories around the so-called Partygate and Dominic Cummings breaking COVID-19 rules while he was Boris Johnson's chief adviser. She also led successful campaigns including action on dangerous dogs, changing the law on organ donation and saving rail ticket offices in the UK.

Alison was Editor of the Sunday Mirror from 2012 to 2016 and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Reach plc. from 2016 to 2024. She also wrote a weekly column for the Mirror across print and digital and was Columnist of the Year in 2017.

Alison is Vice President of the Society of Editors and was the Chair of Women in Journalism from 2020 to 2023. She started her career as a reporter at the Harlow Star in Essex, before attending Leeds University where she became editor of Leeds Student. She went on to work at the Evening Argus in Brighton, Connors Press Agency, Woman magazine and the Sunday People before joining the Mirror in 2001 as Features Editor.

She has appeared as a spokesperson and pundit on TV and radio including such shows as Question Time, Lorraine, This Morning and The Laura Kuenssberg Show. She lives in Essex and has three children.