Sir Harold Evans – “G2: Two-man world summit”
Harold Evans is an editor and the author of two critically acclaimed best-selling histories of America: The American Century and They Made America: From the Steam Engine to the Search Engine: Two Centuries of Innovators. They Made America was the basis for a four-part documentary of the same title on PBS, which he wrote, and has been adapted into an internet distance learning course, due to launch in Fall 2010.
He recently released his memoir, My Paper Chase, covering his early life, his years in Britain’s newspaper business and his move to America. He is editor at large of The Week magazine, and moderates The Week’s panel discussions with political and economic leaders.
Evans graduated M.A. from Durham University and held a Harkness Fellowship at the Universities of Chicago and Stanford. In London, he was the editor of The Sunday Times from 1967 to 1981, and editor of The Times from 1981 to 1982.
Evans moved to America in 1984. He was the founding editor of Conde Nast Traveler magazine and President and Publisher of Random House Trade Group (1990-1997) From 1997-1999 he was Editorial Director and Vice Chairman of U.S. News & World Report, the New York Daily News, The Atlantic Monthly and Fast Company, a position from which he resigned in January 2000 to write full time. (Evans remains a Contributing Editor at U.S. News & World Report.)
Among many recognitions, Evans was awarded the European Gold Medal by the Institute of Journalists. This followed his successful Sunday Times investigation and campaign on behalf of children injured by the pharmaceutical thalidomide. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the UK Press Award Committee, its highest accolade. In 2000, Evans was honored as one of 50 World Press Heroes on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the International Press Institute in defense of press freedom. In 2001, British journalists voted him the greatest all time British newspaper editor, and in 2004 he was honored with a knighthood in the Queen’s 2004 New Year’s Honors list.
