Trevor Kavanagh
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Trevor Kavanagh (born 1943) is a journalist and currently the Political Editor of the Sun newspaper.
Kavanagh has worked in journalism ever since leaving school. He was educated at Reigate Grammar School before leaving school at 17 to work for local newspapers in Surrey and Hereford. In 1965 he emigrated to Australia, working on several newspapers. After a short stint back in the United Kingdom working for the Bristol Evening News Kavanagh returned to Australia to work for the Sydney Daily Mirror (in Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. stable) on the political desk. In 1978 he returned to the UK more permanently, taking a job with the Sun.
Kavanagh became Political Editor in 1983. From that post he strongly backed the newspaper's support of Margaret Thatcher. In 1996 the newspaper decided to drop its long-term support of her Conservative Party and throw its weight behind Tony Blair's revitalised Labour Party. Kavanagh has said he was against the move but accepted it as part of his job.
There is no doubt that Kavanagh has contacts in high places within the British Government. He claimed an exclusive by reporting the date of the 2001 UK General Election before it had been official announced. Some claim (see the New Statesman article linked below, for example) that there was a deal between the Government and The Sun - the Government would have the newspapers continued support, as long as it gave the newspaper the date of the election first.
In January 2004, Kavanagh claimed another huge scoop, an unnamed source telephoned Kavanagh with details of the Hutton Inquiry the night before it was officially published. Kavanagh was provided with accurate details of the report and published them ahead of the official release.
References
- New Stateman's article profiling Kavanagh (http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0FQP/4532_130/74886351/p3/article.jhtml?term=)
- A transcript of Kavanagh interviewing George. W. Bush (http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/rm/2003/26287.htm)