Paul Vale. Picture: Submitted
US Sun managing editor Paul Vale has died aged 50 after being diagnosed with cancer three years ago.
Vale has been described as “the rock” of the US Sun team from its launch in 2020 who will leave a “lasting legacy” in the newsroom.
Vale, who died on 31 August, joined The US Sun as deputy editor in February 2020 before becoming managing editor in 2024.
Sun editor-in-chief Victoria Newton, US Sun editor Gill Smith and Sun EVP and publisher Dominic Carter said in a joint statement: “Paul, affectionately known as PV, was instrumental in the launch of the US Sun back in 2020 – just weeks before Covid – when he joined the team as deputy editor and was integral to its ensuing success.
“Paul was very much the rock of the US Sun team from the outset and he was widely respected for his leadership, generosity and genuine care for those around him.
“His energy and passion for his job were unmatched, even while enduring gruelling treatment.
“Paul took great pride in building a strong team culture and had a remarkable ability to make people feel valued and included.
“He leaves behind a lasting legacy at The US Sun, not only through his editorial contribution, but through the people he supported, the relationships he built and the culture he helped create.
“Paul is survived by his wife Anna and their ten-year-old daughter Juno.”
Vale’s previous roles included US assistant news editor for Mail Online, Europe editor for Vice News and digital news editor for ITV News.
He spent six years at Huffpost, initially as deputy news editor in the UK before moving to New York as night editor then front page editor, and earlier spent seven years at the Express including as technology editor.
‘He championed a new generation of journalists’
Samuel Luckhurst, Manchester United correspondent at The Sun who worked with Vale at Huffpost UK between 2012 to 2014, praised him for his mentorship towards younger journalists.
Luckhurst told Press Gazette: “Paul was an innovative and authoritative journalist with a singular personality who lit up the newsroom whenever he entered it.
“He was impeccable company in a professional and social setting and a masterful man-manager. Huffpost UK had a creative and callow newsroom and he championed a new generation of journalists with his forward thinking.
“It was my privilege to cover London 2012 with Paul and I knew at the time I would struggle to have a better two-and-a-half working weeks in my career.
“Paul was such a wry colleague. I vividly remember when I was introduced to him on my first day in February 2012. He told me how he took his tea and I knew immediately we would get on.
“The world is a little dimmer without him.”
‘PV’s massive talent was seeing exactly where people could shine’
Frances Mulraney, head of news and exclusives at The US Sun, said: “PV’s reputation preceded him as someone friends would refer to only as the news editor who started every day with a team talk so full-spirited you thought you were about to play the Champions League final.
“I finally got to experience it myself in my first few days in tabloids, completely unaware of the cotton wool Paul had me wrapped in, protecting me from the more grizzly elements of the newsroom – a barrier cruelly ripped away just two weeks later when he moved to The US Sun.
“Luckily for me, PV always made the effort to instantly get to know everyone he worked with, coming back with Nat months later to rescue me from the night-shift trenches, fully convinced we needed to work together again after only ten days previously spent in the same office.
“Rather than slogging it out on bears breaking into cars and the viral Karen of the moment, PV fully threw me in the deep end, leading shifts myself within a few weeks and never looking back.
“He also fully knew how to appeal to all of our competitiveness, publicly calling out in backbench just how much faster rivals were to a breaker than me!
“PV’s massive talent was seeing exactly where people could shine and making sure they got there, whether that was with The US Sun or elsewhere.
“He had much bigger dreams for us all than we could envision for ourselves.
“He also loved a recurring joke, making even the most mortifying Media Thursday moments a thing to laugh over by the time we’d all had our Friday morning group breakfast burritos.
“Most importantly, PV knew his team so well that he could make decisions for you at times when you couldn’t make them for yourself, including wanting to practically walk me onto the plane himself and taking zero excuses to get me home for what would end up being my last proper weekend with my Dad. There’s no way to ever repay him for making sure I had those last hours!
“You will be so missed, Paul.”
‘He made people feel that they belonged’
Jamie Ferguson, newsroom transformation lead at The Sun, shared: “Paul Vale – or PV to us – was a loving and devoted family man, a much-loved husband to Anna and a wonderful dad to his beautiful daughter, Juno.
“Before we were lucky enough to have Paul at The US Sun, he worked at HuffPost and the Daily Mail US. But it was at The US Sun where so many of us had the privilege of working alongside him, learning from him and, most importantly, getting to know him.
“Paul joined us in February 2020, at the height of Covid, when 1211 Avenue of the Americas was almost completely deserted and the world was in lockdown. There were just five of us for months — regularly making the journey into an eerily quiet office.
“Paul quickly became one of the people who made that strange and difficult time feel a little more normal.
“He was caring, generous with his time and took enormous pride in making The US Sun feel like a home away from home. He had a remarkable ability to make people feel welcome, valued and part of something.
“Ever the life and soul of the party, Paul was the driving force behind Media Thursday — creating a space for the team to get together, switch off from work and build the friendships and camaraderie that became such an important part of the culture of The US Sun.
“And Paul had time for everyone. Every day, you’d find him strolling around the office, checking in with people individually, offering a word of encouragement, asking how they were doing and, inevitably, cracking the odd terrible dad gag along the way.
“That was Paul. He cared about people. Genuinely.
“He loved talking about music and regularly bragged about his guitar skills, although I have to admit I never actually witnessed them — even if the guitar was always on show. And if you were willing to listen, he’d happily talk to you about the stock market and investing too.
“For those of us who had the privilege of working with him for many years, Paul meant so much more than his job title. As deputy editor and later managing editor, US, he played an integral role in the growth and success of The US Sun.
“But his greatest contribution was the impact he had on the people around him and the culture he helped create. He made people feel that they belonged.
“Paul was also the driving force behind our first studio on the other side of the office. What started as a meeting room became a broadcast studio where so many of our team appeared on national networks to talk about their stories.
“That was typical PV. He was immensely proud of what this team did, and he wanted the rest of the country to see it too. He put everything into making sure our journalism and our journalists were seen and celebrated — even contacting booking agents himself to get our people on air.
“He championed people. He backed their ideas. And he wanted them to succeed.
“A few years ago, when Paul was first going through treatment, we began taking part in Cycle for Survival, raising money for Memorial Sloan Kettering and its groundbreaking work in rare cancer research and treatment. We also started growing some fairly ridiculous moustaches every November to raise money for the same cause.
“MSK held such a special place in PV’s heart. He would talk about the incredible people there and the care they gave him. Through Cycle for Survival, we heard first-hand the stories of people and families whose lives had been touched by rare cancers, and supporting it became something that meant a great deal to all of us.
Sun team taking part in Cycle for Survival. Picture: Submitted
“Paul will be sorely missed by all of us. But the stories, the laughs, the Media Thursdays, the terrible jokes and the countless memories he gave us will continue to be shared by the team for years to come.
“Paul’s legacy at The US Sun isn’t simply what he helped build. It’s the people he encouraged, supported and believed in along the way.
“He made us better at what we did, but more importantly, he made The US Sun a better place to be. And in that way, PV will always be part of The US Sun family.
“Rest easy, PV. You’ll be deeply missed, mate.”
‘A huge character in the early days of Huffpost UK’
Libby Plummer, a freelance journalist who had been friends with Vale since 2007, said: “An outstanding writer, with an unimprovable turn of phrase, Paul was not only a good friend, but also a mentor. Without his encouragement I wouldn’t have had the confidence to make the move from consumer magazines to the newsroom, and pursued the subjects I love to write about. His advice was always direct, often hilarious, and invariably correct.
“His enthusiasm for nurturing the next generation of journalists was clear, and he said his time lecturing at Middlesex University Dubai was one of the best things he’d ever done in his career.
“It’s been heartening to read all of the lovely tributes to PV, and I hope he knew just how well liked and respected he was among his colleagues and beyond.”
Paul Vale, pictured during his time at Huffpost UK by Libby Plummer
Guardian deputy political editor Jessica Elgot said: “I arrived at Huffpost when it was practically unknown in the UK and Paul absolutely embodied the gutsy, risk taking, start-up spirit of the place and made it an extraordinary success. He was the beating heart of our team and he was the glue which meant so many of us still have such strong bonds after all these years despite moving jobs and countries.
“So many people will mention his great humour but he was deeply serious about stories and about people and culture. Journalism has really lost a very special and talented soul.”
Ted Thornhill, who worked with Vale in 2012 on the Huffpost news team, said he was “one of the best things about the role.
“Paul was one of those rare editors – supportive, witty, and always endeavouring to get the very best out of the team. He was a brilliant news editor and took delivering great stories very seriously – but banter constantly bubbled up to the surface.
“One of the most thoroughly likeable journalists I’ve ever worked with. He’ll be sorely missed.”
Stephen Hull, head of digital at ITV News, described Vale on Linkedin as “a huge character in the very early days of Huffpost UK when it was a chaotic, hilarious and wonderfully creative place to work”.
He added: “When I became editor in chief he was one of the people who encouraged me to just be myself, enjoy it and throw caution to the wind.”
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