Upcoming Events

Hightlights of our Autumn/Winter Events Schedule

Highlights of our Autumn/Winter Events Schedule

Our events will be held over Zoom until further notice. 
We’re longing to go back to The Groucho and The University Women’s Club and see all of you - but not just yet.

OUR EVENT PROGRAM:-

Re-thinking the media landscape for a radically changed world
 'Re-thinks' are everywhere, with people asking “when this lousy war is over, what kind of world do we want to see”.  We’re asking what makes for a better fairer media landscape.
 
We’ve asked three pioneering media figures to come up with a new analysis and some bold proposals.  We’ve asked them:
 
What we’re missing? What’s gone wrong? How does media become fairer and more honest.
How does Public Service Broadcasting deliver on it's promise.

 
How do we save journalists and journalism
Changing technology, the pandemic and the coming recession are a nightmare for journalists and journalism.  
Cuts in TV newsrooms, the end of the local press, no budget for investigations anywhere.

Journalists are finding their future is in the gig economy.  We’re working with our friends at The Journalists’ Charity to tell the human story behind the figures, and with people who recruit, train and manage journalists to explain the pressures they’re under.

 
Viral conspiracy stories and 'Fake News': -the toxic cocktail  from today's internet?
 We’re just realising how important on-line misinformation’s become, and particularly conspiracy theories

There are some jaw-dropping stories here:
• 31% of Brexiteers believe in “the replacement plan” (and 41% of Trump’s people)
• Anti-vax stories are running riot globally, often linked to anti-Bill Gates stories
• huge numbers in the UK believe Covid is either  - a) a Chinese plot to kill us all or  - b) a hoax
How do these conspiracies gain traction and why do some people find them so compelling.  We’re asking misinformation experts - academics and media practitioners - to tell us what’s really happening.
 

Extreme News Management from No.10 - should the media toe the line or push back hard?
 Is the new plan for ‘number 10 briefings’ an example of this Government’s Extreme News Management Plan.

Margaret Thatcher positively enjoyed an hour-long TV interview with no holds barred. But not the new party leaders.
 
Is this an Americanised (evenTrump-ised!) new way of avoiding scrutiny and difficult questions. We look for some inside stories and answers from the toughest media challengers.