Will Lewis has been given the toughest job in journalism. Well, to be honest, he now has two of the toughest jobs in journalism. He has to manage people who are numbed by the morale-sapping dramas of enforced redundancies that have created considerable uncertainty. At the same time, he has to manage the Daily Telegraph's transformation into the digital age. This is a huge task for a man who has never edited an edition of a national newspaper and it would be churlish to wish him anything other than good fortune at this time.
It is not a strange appointment. Lewis has the enthusiasm, the ambition and the skills to be an editor. But it is a strange time for him to step into the chair because his overseeing of the move to the integrated newsroom at Victoria has barely begun. Sure, most departments have already moved into the new office, but they have yet to produce the multi-platform journalism that its major architect, Lewis, envisages. Surely he needed time in his managing director (editorial) role to complete that task before assuming the editorship?
There are all sorts of pressures on a Telegraph editor that will make it difficult for Lewis to devote as much time as he should to ensuring that the new 24-hour schedule runs smoothly. He is inevitably going to be caught between his duties as editor and those as digital supremo. Yet both roles are crucially important and demand total commitment at present. They needed to be kept separate for a month or so, at least. It may be that his deputy, Ian MacGregor, will do more than most deputies normally do. But MacGregor is new to the outfit and, despite his well-known attention to detail and love of hard work, he could have benefited from a "softer landing" in a new job.
Anyway, if MacGregor is going to shoulder much of the work, what was the point of elevating Lewis so soon? The suspicion must be that the decision was forced on the Telegraph group's ceo, Murdoch MacLennan, either because the acting editor, John Bryant, was so disaffected that he couldn't stand continuing in his role, or because he couldn't be trusted any longer to do so. (His editor-in-chief position looks unlikely to last much longer). Whatever the case, my feeling is that though Lewis might be the right man, this was the wrong time to give it to him.
Of course, there are people who will disagree, feeling that Lewis is not the right man at all. They point to his age, 37, and to his lack of experience. Some might find his boyish naivety somewhat off-putting. Others baulk at his sometimes other-worldly manner when he appears oddly disengaged from what's happening around him. Old hands might well compare him unfavourably with past editors, such as Bill Deedes, Max Hastings and Charles Moore. But they were men of their time, for their time. This is now. I've witnessed Lewis at work and I've also been struck by the boyishness too and noted his propensity to try to teach grandmothers how to suck eggs. It didn't worry me though and shouldn't worry the Telegraph staff unduly.
One final, but important, thought before anyone writes off the new editor's chances. Lewis is cleverer and cannier than he looks. When I ran into difficulties with the Telegraph management for writing about the media in a media column (doh!), Lewis was given the task of helping to speed me on my way. Without revealing any confidences, all I will say is that he managed to be on the management's side and mine at the same time - no mean feat. He accomplished the task well enough for us to remain on friendly terms. So, as I say, I wish him the best. It's certainly going to be a rough ride.
