Sophy Ridge

Sophy Ridge
Ridge receiving the 30 to Watch award from MHP Communications in 2012.
Born Sophy Arabella Ridge
(1984-10-17) 17 October 1984[1]
Richmond upon Thames, London, England
Education Tiffin Girls' School
St Edmund Hall, Oxford
Occupation Journalist, presenter

Sophy Arabella Ridge (born 17 October 1984) is an English broadcast journalist. She worked as a journalist at the tabloid newspaper News of the World. Ridge then worked as a political correspondent for Sky News where as of 2017 she presents Sophy Ridge on Sunday.

Early life

Ridge was born on 17 October 1984 in Richmond upon Thames, London.[1][2] Both her parents are teachers. Ridge has one younger brother.[2] Her early education was at the selective grammar Tiffin Girls' School in London. During her time there, she did work experience at the newspaper Richmond and Twickenham Times. She continued her education at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where Ridge obtained a second-class BA degree in English Literature.[3] During her final year of university she did a period of work experience at the tabloid newspaper News of the World, which led to a position on their graduate training programme.[2]

Career

After graduation in 2006, Ridge was a trainee reporter at the tabloid newspaper News of the World.[4] After completion of her training programmes she initially worked as a consumer affairs correspondent in 2009. She then gained a job as a political correspondent on Sky News in 2011.[3][5][6] During her time there she covered a broad range of political stories and has travelled with the Prime Minister to Afghanistan, New York, and Brazil. She was based in Colorado for the channel's coverage of the US elections and was known for her round the clock broadcasting at the annual party conferences.

Her highest profile role was in 2015 where as a senior political correspondent she played a key role in the 2015 general election coverage for Sky News, reporting on the Labour Party's campaign and conducting interviews with party members. Ridge's exclusives during this time included, Ed Miliband's resignation as leader of the Labour Party following the result of the 2015 general election and Jeremy Corbyn's victory in the subsequent Labour Party leadership election.[2]

In 2017 Ridge became the host of her own show Sophy Ridge on Sunday.[6][7] In the same year Ridge released her first book The Women Who Shaped Politics, a non-fiction book which discussed women's contribution to British politics.[8]

She also currently has a weekly column in Metro (British newspaper).

Political views

Ridge claims that the U.S. public's rejection of Hillary Clinton in the United States presidential election, 2016, is due to sexism. She states: "To put it bluntly: women can be sexist too... There are plenty of women who think mothers should stay at home to raise a family, believe girls wear pink and play with dolls and secretly would feel a little bit safer if they knew a man was flying their plane."

She adds: "Sexism is insidious, unconscious and affects women as well as men. Just because women didn't turn out in big enough numbers for Mrs Clinton does not mean we should dismiss the troubling sexism and misogyny that marred the campaign... The fact so many women in America voted for Mr Trump over Mrs Clinton is a get-out-of-jail-free card: female voters weren't bothered, so it can't be sexist. It can, and it is."[9]

Awards

Ridge has won several journalism awards, including the MHP Communications 30 to Watch award (2012),[10] the Headline Money rising star award, top-rated female political blogger in the Total Politics Blog Awards 2011[3] with her Waste Watch blogging website, and was shortlisted as Young Journalist of the Year in the Royal Television Society Awards in 2013.[11] In 2016, she won an award for Broadcast Journalist of the Year at the Words by Women awards.[12]

Personal life

Ridge is married to Ben, a journalist who works for a national newspaper.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Results for Britain records". Findmypast. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sophy Ridge, the woman changing on-screen politics". Royal Television Society. June 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Sophy Ridge". St Edmund Hall, Oxford. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  4. ↑ Saner, Emine (19 February 2017). "Sky's Sophy Ridge: 'We're at a tipping point with women in politics'". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  5. ↑ Wheeler, Caroline (3 May 2015). "Poll stars: The three leading women election presenters in 2015". The Daily Express.
  6. 1 2 Sweney, Mark (16 November 2016). "Sophy Ridge to host new Sunday morning show on Sky News". The Guardian.
  7. ↑ "Sky News Launches New Show, Sophy Ridge on Sunday". Sky. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  8. ↑ Simpson, Keith (24 April 2017). "Book review: The Women Who Shaped Politics". Total Politics. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  9. ↑ Ridge, Sophy (November 2016). "Sky Views: Women can be sexist too". Sky News.
  10. ↑ "MHP announces the winners of the inaugural MHP 30 to Watch – recognising the most talented young journalist stars of the future". MHP Communications. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  11. ↑ "RTS Announces Winners For Television Journalism Awards 2013". Royal Television Society. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  12. ↑ Belam, Martin (22 March 2016). "Words By Women awards make their mark with celebration of solidarity". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
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