Letter from the editor: Rebellion is in the air

You will have seen from the front page that rebellion is in the air at the moment. And I’ve had to put down a minor insurrection of our own here at i Towers.

Yesterday, I blamed some of our senior executives for failing to spot that I said “prone” when I really meant “supine”, suggesting that they were the beneficiaries of a better (or at least more expensive) education than mine.

This brought a furious response. “I get it,” said the Old Harrovian (who pointed out that his education hadn’t cost a penny, since he won a scholarship, the clever clogs). “You make mistakes and we get the blame for it.” Yes, I said, and when you do something well, I’ll take the credit for it. It’s one of the perks of being an editor. And his colleague was similarly stung. He sent me a text message saying: “Further to your letter, can I point out that I had the cheapest education of all.” But then he is a bit touchy.

There is a widespread assumption that the top echelons of the media are the domain of those who are privately schooled and Oxbridge-educated, but, on researching the matter, I discovered that the reality here at i is very different. I went to a grammar school and then to a polytechnic; one deputy editor went to a state comprehensive and then to Durham, and the other went to Manchester; the executive editor went to Exeter; the features editor never went to university, the comment editor was educated by nuns and the sports editor was more Uxbridge than Oxbridge.

Of course, we do have a sprinkling of those who care who wins the Boat Race, but don’t accuse us of being “prone” to employing those with a privileged education. We’re not going to take that lying down. Or, should I say, in a “supine” position. Enjoy the unseasonable weather, and I’ll see you on Monday!