Lawson Steps Down As Sunday Telegraph Editor

Dominic Lawson has stepped down as editor of the Sunday Telegraph after ten years, handing the reigns to Sarah Sands, the newspaper’s current deputy editor, who will take up the post immediately.

Commenting on the departure of 48-year-old Lawson, who had held the position since 1995, Murdoch MacLennan, chief executive of the Telegraph Group, said: “We would like to thank Dominic for his ten year contribution to the Sunday Telegraph during which he has made the newspaper the leading Sunday news agenda setter. We also appreciate his achievements as editor of The Spectator. We wish him well with his future plans.”

The newspaper’s new editor will steer the title through the current decline in circulations for national newspapers, taking up her role as the Sunday Telegraph attempts to negotiate a particularly rough patch.

The paper saw its circulation slip by 5.9% year on year last month, the largest decline of any Quality Sunday title. The decline has pushed its total circulation down to 666,031, placing it within the bottom three of all national Sunday titles (see ABC National Newspaper Round-Up – May 2005 ABC National Newspaper Round-Up – May 2005 ).

Sands, a 44 year-old mother of three, has been deputy editor of the newspaper since 1996 and, in 2004, was given particular responsibility for the Saturday edition of the Daily Telegraph.

Commenting on Sands’ appointment, MacLennan said: “Sarah will be responsible for reviewing the style and content of the Sunday Telegraph and its supplements. Alongside Martin Newland, she has done a first class job on the daily, boosting the sales of the Saturday edition. I have no doubt she will bring a new and different approach to the Sunday market.”

Sands added: “There are a lot of good journalists at the Sunday Telegraph and I am looking forward to the challenge.”

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