Former Tabloid Editor Finds Joy Delivering Good News
Alan Muir, a former editor of the Scottish Sun, now shares uplifting stories as part of the People’s Postcode Lottery winners’ team. After spending 30 years at the Scottish Sun, rising from reporter to editor, he now personally visits winners to deliver news of their prizes, sometimes involving millions of pounds.
A Life-Affirming Role in Journalism
Muir describes his current job as “life-affirming” and compares it to his early days as a junior reporter. Alongside communications officer Pamela Stirling and news reporter Craig Stewart, he interviews winners and prepares their stories for local and national media publication, with their consent.
“It’s turning the clock back 40-odd years for me to being a junior reporter knocking a door – there’s no difference at all. It’s what I always loved to do… every single week is different.”
Daily Deadlines and Extensive Travel
With new winners announced daily, Muir and his team work under tight deadlines to produce stories. Their work involves significant travel; last year alone, they covered 120,000 miles across Great Britain to visit winners at their homes.
Working Like a Newsroom
The team models their approach closely on a newsroom environment, coordinating interviews and storytelling to celebrate winners and share their experiences.
“We operate exactly like a newsroom, interviewing winners and writing up their stories for publication if they agree to publicity.”
Summary: Alan Muir, former Scottish Sun editor, finds renewed passion delivering good news as a People’s Postcode Lottery storyteller, combining decades of journalism with heartwarming human stories.