David Hencke: The Journalist Who Made Us All Better

Byline Times tips its hat with love and gratitude to our acclaimed investigative reporter who died aged 79 of liver cancer in June. His colleague and friend Mark Conrad remembers his generous gift for reporting

If you bumped into David Hencke in Westminster, there was a fair chance you’d end up disappearing into a nearby café or pub for an hour.

Officially, we’d be discussing the latest political developments after some worthy – but sometimes dull – parliamentary committee. In reality, we’d be talking about journalism. Stories, Westminster gossip worth pursuing, and how to use the worthy material to get closer to the truth.

Long before I was fortunate enough to call David a friend, I knew him by reputation.