William Haley

Sir William John Haley, KCMG (May 24, 1901 - September 6, 1987) was a British newspaper editor and broadcasting administrator.

Early in his career on the "Manchester Evening News", Haley was found to be too shy to work as a reporter. He was then transferred to subediting. [Harold Evans, "Essential English for Journalists, Editors and Writers" 2000 p.10]

He served as Director-General of the BBC from 1944 to 1952 and from 1952 to 1966 he was editor of "The Times". He was made Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in 1946.

He was editor in chief of "Encyclopædia Britannica" from January 1968 until resigning in April 1969 in an editorial dispute over how to adapt the work to new readers. It was reported that younger executives (including the company's president, Charles E. Swanson) wanted to introduce livelier materials, while Haley favoured the traditional approach and an expansion in size. [Henry Raymont, "Encyclopaedia Britannica Feud Seen", "New York Times", April 20, 1969]

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