William Howard Russell the first special correspondent of the Manchester Guardian John Black Atkins. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/the-special-correspondent/?_r=0' http://spartacus-educational.com/Jrussell.htm' William Howard Russell Sir William Howard Russell (28 March 1820, Tallaght, County Dublin, Ireland – 11 February 1907, London, England) was an Irish reporter with "The Times", and is considered to have been one of the first modern war correspondents. He spent 22 months covering the Crimean War, including the Siege of Sevastopol and the Charge of the Light Brigade. He later covered events during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the American Civil War, the Austro-Prussian War, and the Franco-Prussian War. As a young reporter, Russell reported
William Howard Russell the war to try to improve his stories. In the 1868 General Election Russell ran unsuccessfully as a Conservative candidate for the borough of Chelsea. He retired as a battlefield correspondent in 1882 and founded the "Army and Navy Gazette". Russell was knighted in May 1895. He was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) by King Edward VII on 11 August 1902, this order was a dynastic order handed out by the King without government interference. During the investiture, the King reportedly told Russell "Don't kneel Billy, just stoop". Russell died in 1907 and is buried in