Appointment of ex-Sun editor as parkrun trustee questioned
David Dinsmore is one of seven new trustees who will sit on the board of the 5k event
The appointment of a former editor of The Sun newspaper as one of seven new parkrun trustees has been criticised by runners and volunteers of the free event.
The charity, which holds weekly parkruns at which people can run, walk or wheel their way round 5km at 9am on Saturday mornings, named David Dinsmore as a trustee on Monday.
Mr Dinsmore, who edited The Sun from 2013 to 2015 before being promoted to Chief Operating Officer of News UK - a position he still holds, was appointed alongside big names such as Professor Sir Jonathan Stafford Nguyen-Van-Tam, the former deputy chief medical officer for England.
Chair of Trustees, Gavin Megaw, said the appointments would help parkrun be “world class in terms of our operations and make more of an impact within communities across the world”.
None of the new trustees will be paid, but Mr Dinsmore’s appointment has provoked anger on social media sites, including Twitter.
During his time at the newspaper, Mr Dinsmore defended the publication of Page 3 girls leading to him being named Sexist of the Year by End Violence Against Women in 2014.
He was later found guilty of breaking the law after the paper inadvertently identified the victim of a sexual offence while under his watch.
The Sun was found to have broken the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act over a story about a 15-year-old girl and footballer Adam Johnson, who was later convicted of child sex offences.
It showed a picture of Johnson with the girl. Although her image was heavily obscured, it was identified by social media users.
Under his editorship, The Sun’s went behind an online paywall with Mr Dinsmore praised for doubling its subscriber base.
His appointment has led to parkrunners and volunteers saying they will no longer take part in the event while he remains a trustee.
Questions have also been raised about the impact of the move in Liverpool, where there remains a boycott of The Sun over its coverage of the Hillsborough disaster.
One critic is Roger Wilson, who worked on the launch and roll-out of parkrun.
Mr Wilson has written an open letter to Mr Megaw on behalf of concerned parkrun users.
It praises the event for bringing “joy and health to many people in many communities across the world” and welcomes the nomination of new trustees to the board.
But the letter goes on express concern that “the good image of parkrun” will be damaged by Mr Dinsmore’s appointment.
It said: “The nomination will put off some runners and volunteers from being involved in parkrun, and make it harder for local volunteers to get the support of some local stakeholders and landowners.
“We should not be appointing anyone in parkrun to a key position who has a conviction under the Sexual Offences Act without careful diligence.
“Secondly, as a former editor of The Sun newspaper and still in the employ of News UK, David Dinsmore has demonstrated values and behaviours contrary to those of the parkrun community of inclusion of all groups, including body shapes.”
The letter calls on parkrun to remove Mr Dinsmore as a trustee, set up a new process for nominating trustees that truly involves the wider parkrun community, and to carry out a fresh governance review “to make sure that this sort of unnecessary mistake will not happen again”.
The magnificent seven?: parkrun’s new trustees
Sonya Byers: Long-standing parkrun volunteer ambassador and the chief executive of the non-profit Women in Transport, which advocates for women working in transport.
Nat Poulter: Joint chief executive of Jungle Creations, a media, marketing and commerce business that has appeared on the Financial Times list of Europe’s fastest growing companies.
Sarah Powell: Chief executive of British Gymnastics and former chief executive of Sport Wales.
Professor Sir Jonathan Stafford Nguyen-Van-Tam: Former deputy chief medical officer for England and current pro-vice chancellor for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham.
David Dinsmore: Chief Operating Officer of News UK and former editor of The Sun.
Gordon Seabright: Former chief executive of the Eden Project and currently leading the Creative Land Trust, a charity established to solve the problem of the loss of artists and creatives from London
John Vickers: Chartered accountant and currently director of finance and corporate services at St. Christopher’s Hospice, the largest hospice in the UK.
Mr Wilson posted a reply from Mr Megaw on his Twitter feed on Thursday.
In it, the parkrun chair of trustees said the “process to select trustees was a fit and proper one” which involved external head-hunters and HR professionals.
He insisted every member of parkrun’s board, including all the new trustees, “not only align with our objects but also our values”.
In relation to the appointment of Mr Dinsmore, Mr Megaw said: “I feel compelled to remind you that parkrun is for all, including people who read, watch, or listen to News UK outlets.
“They may not be everyone’s outlets of choice, but they are for many people in this country.
“We do not challenge people on their political choices at parkrun.”
Calling Mr Dinsmore “an outstanding candidate,” Mr Megaw said the newspaper man’s expertise in managing subscription models had been an important factor in his appointment.
He said: “We can learn from such models as we seek to encourage those who have registered but who are yet to participate, or to target those who lapse, for many complex and personal reasons.”
Mr Megaw also addressed Mr Dinsmore conviction, which he said he had been “very open about”.
“The magistrate acknowledged at the time that he (Mr Dinsmore) and his team had taken all the actions they thought appropriate to comply with the law but the offence was one of strict liability,” Mr Megaw wrote.
“As editor, he took responsibility for the newspaper as a whole.”
In the letter, Mr Megaw also fired a blindside at Mr Wilson - and seemingly others - for criticising parkrun’s decisions outside of its official channels.
He said: “Given your experience and stated desire to protect parkrun's reputation, I would ask that when you have concerns in future you simply reach out to me and I will give you a quick and direct answer.
“That removes the risks of online attacks based on assumptions or prejudices. I have no problem with fair and proper challenge, but I admit to feeling deflated and saddened when we are attacked online via social media having followed the correct processes, and decisions unanimously made.
“It is important to remember that trustees are parkrun volunteers too.”
Since its formation in 2004, parkrun has been widely praised for encouraging fitness and good health practices, as well as for its open and diverse approach.
It’s ethos was recently personified by the achievement of 80-year-old Ray Evans, who completed his 500th parkrun at Bedford Park on 31 December, with a time of 35 minutes and 15 seconds.
The event is regularly featured in national and local media for encouraging people to enjoy running and getting active, and for individuals achieving incredible results.
Previous Running Tales guests such as Leonie Heard and Catherine Hickford have told the podcast how parkrun played a vital part in their running stories.
However, in recent years, the charity has received some negative headlines over its governance.
Its former chief executive, Nick Pearson, apologised after it emerged he failed to declare consultancy fees received from a supplier for the organisation’s clothing line.
And it was also revealed that founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt had been paid more than £200,000 in return for promoting the flagship running event.
Mr Sinton-Hewitt, a trustee at Parkrun Global, benefited from a deal with the charity which guaranteed him both a permanent position on the board and the exclusive right to be paid as an employee while sitting as a trustee.
What do you make of parkrun’s decision to appoint David Dinsmore as a trustee? Let us know in the comments below