{{similar names|Jane Read (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Jane Reed | image = Jane_Reed_died_2025.jpg | image_size = | caption = cropped image by Peter Johns | birth_name = | birth_date = March 31, 1940 | birth_place = Letchworth Garden City | death_date = February 27, 2025 | death_place = | death_cause = | other_names = | known_for = | education = | employer = | occupation = magazine and newspaper editor | spouse = | partner = Michael Bird | children = | parents = }}
'''Jane Barbara Reed''' (March 31, 1940 – February 27, 2025) was a British publishing executive. During the 1970s she was the editor of ''Woman's Own'' magazine. She had leading positions with the ''Today'' newspaper and News International.
==Life== Reed was born in Letchworth Garden City in 1940. Her parents were William and Gwendoline (born Plaskett) Reed. When she was five, her father died and she was sent to boarding school. She emerged from the Royal Masonic school when she was eighteen noted for her skills as an artist and as a violinist. She tried St Martins but she went into the magazine industry.<ref name=deadreed/>
She began her time at ''Woman's Own'' magazine in 1965 and she was promoted to be the editor in 1970. In 1973 the magazine created "Children of Courage" which recognises children who have shown heroism, endured pain or disability. The idea was still running 50 years later.<ref name=deadreed/>
Woman's Own became a significant fund raiser for the Save the Children charity. They started, what became an annual event, with the "world’s biggest jumble sale" attracting donations in one year that included a pair of Peter Sellers' silk pyjamas and a dress worn by Sophia Loren.<ref name=deadreed>{{Cite news |last=Langdon |first=Julia |date=2025-03-21 |title=Jane Reed obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/mar/21/jane-reed-obituary |access-date=2025-12-04 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
In 1979, Jane Reed was moving on from being the editor on ''Woman's Own''. The magazine was being described as "perhaps the most influential woman’s magazine in the English speaking world". Under her leadership the magazine had campaigned for Plain English and for women to have equal taxes to men. They had discussed how to examine your own breasts for cancer and given instructions as to how, a woman, in extremis, could give birth alone.<ref name=reed>{{Cite news |last=Polan |first=Brenda |date=2016-08-17 |title=Jane Reed interview: the toughie at the top - archive |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/aug/17/jane-reed-womans-own-interview-1979 |access-date=2025-12-04 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
Reed moved on to lead the International Publishing Company (IPC) group of Women's magazines before spending a year as editor in chief of ''Woman'' magazine.<ref name=bjr/> She continued to rise inside the IPC empire until in 1985 she made a surprising break to become the Managing Editor of the ''Today'' newspaper which had been launched by Eddy Shah. She initially looked after features and she enjoyed her time there until in 1987 the newspaper was bought by Rupert Murdoch's company. She became a News International executive looking after corporate affairs which included merging Sky with BSB.<ref name=deadreed/>
She nominally retired in 2002 but she was still a board member of ''The Times'' until 2022.<ref name=bjr>{{Cite web |last=Parsonson |first=Corrie |date=2025-05-31 |title=Jane Reed 31 March 1940 – 27 February 2025 |url=https://bjr.org.uk/jane-reed-31-march-1940-27-february-2025/ |access-date=2025-12-04 |website=BJR |language=en-GB}}</ref>
In 2007 she spoke on Radio 4's ''The Reunion'' about the launch of the ''Today'' newspaper with Kirsty Wark.<ref name=wark>{{Cite web |date=2005-08-21 |title=BBC Radio 4 - The Reunion, The Today Newspaper |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0fz9b37 |access-date=2025-12-04 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref>
She died in 2025.<ref name="timmy">{{Cite web |date=2025-03-17 |title=Jane Reed obituary: inspirational editor who rose from 'tea girl' |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/jane-reed-obituary-inspirational-editor-who-rose-from-tea-lady-2plv8r6bk |access-date=2025-12-04 |website=www.thetimes.com |language=en |archive-date=24 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250324223904/https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/jane-reed-obituary-inspirational-editor-who-rose-from-tea-lady-2plv8r6bk |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Private life== Her partner was Michael Bird who was also in publishing although they did not co-habit. She shared her sister's three children as she was unable to have children due to ovarian cancer in her twenties.<ref name=deadreed/>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Jane}} Category:1940 births Category:2025 deaths Category:Magazine editors Category:English women journalists Category:The Times Group people Category:Women's magazines published in the United Kingdom Category:Newspaper editors Category:Media executives Category:People educated at the Royal Masonic School Category:People from Letchworth