Jenni Murray
Daily Mail
A fierce advocate for women, their struggles, frustrations, triumphs and joys are what motivate her each week. As such, her column for Femail Magazine is a must-read, a refreshingly human beacon of common sense and compassion that calls her loyal readers to ask the difficult questions of the world and themselves – and one that has seen her become a trusted friend. Here’s why: *There are no holds barred, whether she is sharing the lasting scars inflicted by being flashed at as a child (Still haunted by the men who flashed me, March 9, 2023) or boldly admitting she doesn’t care if the Pill caused her breast cancer (No regrets about taking the Pill, even if it gave me cancer, March 23, 2023). Questioning the epidemic of antidepressant prescriptions, she bravely shares her own lowest moments (I went on Prozac - but was I ever really depressed?, June 29, 2023). *She’s always at the forefront of national debate. Take her call for a total ban on pornography (February 2, 2023). Arguing that no form of regulation can adequately tackle this damaging behemoth, her calls were picked up by multiple print, radio and TV platforms, seeing her go on to argue her case on Newsnight. With 363,000 views and 2,000 comments on Mail Online alone, her words became the talk of Twitter. *Jenni champions women, writing with righteous anger on how society continues to treat them as second-class citizens (Women have always come last in the NHS, January 26, 2023) and calling for action (Rishi’s wrong to ditch childcare reform, January 5, 2023). She is unafraid to challenge the status quo, offering excoriating words for the politicians who refuse to defend the right to believe in biological sex (Why won’t any party stand up for the rights of women? September 28, 2023). *Jenni is never afraid to incur judgement by asking difficult questions of herself. In a piece that now feels painfully timely, Jenni revealed that a fear of racist violence led her father to hide his Jewish roots from her until she was 14. Adamant she understand her heritage, he took Jenni on a devastating visit to Auschwitz. Yet why, she boldly asks, does she still feel so uncomfortably wary of publicly owning this heritage? (Why am I so wary of talking about my Jewish heritage? December 22, 2022) * With surprising vulnerability, she bares her soul on the oft-ignored indignities of ageing, raging that older people feel left out in the cold by society (So scared of getting old, July 13, 2023). In another nuanced but challenging piece, she shared her sympathy with David Hunter, accused of killing his wife to end her cancer suffering (Mum begged me to kill her, May 18, 2023) leading to an avalanche of readers’ letters.