Born in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Snoddy was educated at Larne Grammar School, and Queen's University in Belfast.[1] After university, he worked on local and regional newspapers, before joining The Times in 1971.[1] He later moved to the Financial Times (FT),[3] joining in 1978, and reporting on media issues for the paper, before returning to The Times as media editor in 1997.[1][3] Whilst working at the FT, Snoddy made occasional appearances as guest presenter on the observational newspaper review TV show What the Papers Say.[5] At present, Snoddy is a freelance journalist, writing predominantly for The Independent,[3] although his articles sometimes appear in other newspapers and publications.[1]
Following his departure from The Times in late June 2004,[3] Snoddy presented NewsWatch from its inception in 2004 to 2013. The programme, now titled as Newswatch,[6] was launched as a response to the Hutton Inquiry, as part of an initiative to make BBC News more accountable.[4] His other television work has included presenting Channel 4's award-winning series Hard News, which covered the press, and Sky News' Media Monthly.[1]
In addition, Snoddy is the author of a biography of the media tycoon Michael Green: The Good, the Bad and the Unacceptable: The Hard News about the British Press, about ethics in the newspaper industry,[1][7] and other books.[8]
Whilst Media Editor at The Times in 2000, Snoddy was awarded the honour of the Ordinary Officer of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE); for his services to journalism.[2]
