A professorship in reporting is to be set up at London’s City University in memory of the late journalist Anthony Sampson.

The Anthony Sampson Chair in Reporting has been designed to make sure the principles of reporting and writing are passed down to future generations of journalists.

The post holder, who will be a practising reporter, will spend time teaching and researching as well as acting as an ambassador for the university.

The case for creating the professorship in memory of Anthony, who was a prolific writer, journalist and commentator and became Nelson Mandela’s official biographer, was spearheaded by his former colleague Godfrey Hodgson.

The pair worked together to help create the Laurence Stern Fellowship, based at City, which sends a British journalist to work on the Washington Post every year.

Godfrey said: “I was specially impressed by his emphasis on the importance of young journalists caring about their writing and setting themselves high standards.

“We hope this Chair will do something to encourage young journalists to take reporting seriously.”