She is the first woman to hold the post at the NUJ – she was previously deputy secretary.
[2] Born and raised in Liverpool, the daughter of a police officer, she gained a scholarship to Merchant Taylors' School in Crosby, and graduated with a degree in English and History from Liverpool University.
[2] Stanistreet worked as a journalist for ten years at the Sunday Express newspaper as feature writer and books editor.
[3] Under her leadership, the NUJ Chapel twice reported their own newspaper to the Press Complaints Commission –- in 2001 over coverage of asylum seekers[4] and, in 2004, over coverage of Romani People,[5] unsuccessfully on both occasions.
[1] In February 2013, in line with the NUJ, Stanistreet was among those who gave their support to the People's Assembly in a letter published by The Guardian newspaper.