A sovereign editor: Arthur Mann's Yorkshire Post and its crusade against appeasement, 1938-1939

During Britain’s appeasement of Nazi Germany, the British press was reluctant to criticise government policy and it came under pressure not to do so. The most powerful national titles were determined to support Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s efforts to appease Hitler. One regional Conservative title, the Yorkshire Post stood out against the consensus. This bold stance was the creation of its editor, Arthur Mann. This article examines the Yorkshire Post’s editorial opposition to appeasement between the Anschluss of March 1938 and the entry of German forces into Prague in March 1939. It explores how Mann resisted pressure from his Conservative proprietors to abandon his stance and examines his understanding of his duty as editor.