Who is Chrissie Maher?
Q: Who is Chrissie Maher?
A: Chrissie Maher is a British advocate for the use of plain English. She is a co-founder of the Plain English Campaign, which promotes clear communication in English, especially by businesses and official bodies.
Q: What did Maher do to promote her campaign?
A: To promote her campaign, Maher founded the United Kingdom's first community newspaper, the Tuebrook Bugle, in 1971. In 1974 she went on to start The Liverpool News, which was the UK's first newspaper for adults with reading difficulties. She also founded the Plain English Campaign at a demonstration in London in 1979.
Q: What example did Maher give of language issues she found objectionable?
A: As an example of language issues she found objectionable, in 1994 Maher pointed out that Britain's National Health Service published a definition of the term "bed" that used 229 words.
Q: What awards has Maher received for her efforts?
A: For her efforts promoting plain English communication, Maher was awarded an OBE in 1993 and an honorary MA degree by Manchester University in 1995. In 1997 she received an honorary doctorate from the Open University and was named "Information Pioneer of the Century" by the UK's National Information Forum in 2000. In 2010 she received an Honorary Fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University for her services to communication as well as being selected Public Affairs Achiever of the Year and Outstanding Achiever of the Year for ‘Women in Public Life’ awards.
Q: How has Tom McArthur described Maher's work?
A: Tom McArthur, editor of Oxford Companion to the English Language said that "In all history of language there has never been such a powerful grassroots movement to influence it as The Plain English Campaign."
