news
First Wednesday: Who will be the next president of Iran and why does it matter?
On 14 June Iranians will go to to the polls to vote for a president to replace Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but what significance does this election hold? Join us to analyse the approaching election, the main players and what the result will mean for the future of Iran.
Untangling Mali
By Sally Ashley-Cound The complex situation of the French-led intervention in Mali and the issues in the surrounding region was untangled somewhat on 6 February 2013 at the Frontline Club’s First Wednesday: A new front in the fight against terrorism? Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House was the chair and started things off by asking the […]
HIGHLIGHTS First Wednesday: A new front in the fight against terrorism?
In light of the hostage crisis in Algeria and the French-led offensive against Islamist militants in Mali, on Wednesday 6 February we were joined by Channel 4 News’ Lindsey Hilsum, Lord Ashdown, Ibrahima Diane from BBC Afrique and Wilfred Willey, president of the Malian Community Council in the UK. In a debate chaired by Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4′s Broadcasting House we examined […]
First Wednesday: Syria crisis – Diplomatic shifts and developing dialogues
A year after Marie Colvin was killed in Homs, the war in Syria is still raging and has cost the lives of more than 60,000 people. Following new US Secretary of State John Kerry’s first foreign tour, we ask if he can deliver on his vow not to leave the Syrian opposition “dangling in the wind”.
Between the Lines: breaking boundaries in documenting the world
Between The Lines is a three-day external event taking place at the Rich Mix, exploring the challenges facing documentary makers, investigative journalists and citizen reporters in the new media landscape.
Is drone journalism coming to the UK?
In November 2011, Polish firm RoboKopter filmed striking images of a political demonstration in Warsaw using a video camera attached to a drone or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The New York Times heralded the footage as signalling the arrival of ‘drone journalism’. Since then, we haven’t seen many newsgathering drones in UK skies, but we might […]
After Leveson? A ‘State of the News Media’ report for the UK
With each day of Leveson evidence new stones are overturned, shedding more light on the wider systemic and cultural problems that contributed to the phone-hacking scandal. The ‘post-Leveson’ question becomes ever more pressing, as identified at yesterday’s University of Westminster conference, attended by a range of international media researchers, as well as regulation and legal specialists. […]
Reporting Somalia: Expanding the scope of the media’s eye?
When you think of Somalia, what comes to mind? Conflict? Pirates? Refugees? Poverty? Somalia is still a dangerous place for journalists to operate: according to the Committee to Protect Journalists five journalists have been killed there this year. But improvements in the security situation are offering new opportunities to access stories that may have been too risky to […]
Twitter and the ethics of covering the Breivik trial
There is a dilemma for journalists covering the trial of Anders Behring Breivik — the man who has admitted killing 77 people on 22 July in Norway last summer. On the one hand, Breivik is gaining another bout of publicity for his crimes. On the other, the journalist’s role is to document a trial which […]
Screenings from the Frontline with Al Jazeera: Tweets from Tahrir
A year ago Cairo’s “Twitterati” tweeted their revolution for 18 days in and around Tahrir Square. Tweets from Tahrir is a chance to hear in more than 140 characters what they thought then, and what they feel now about developments in their country.
Screenings from the Frontline with Al Jazeera is a new initiative to contextualize the news and working experiences of journalists and filmmakers reporting out of the political hotspots of our time.
General Richards: The media “frequently draw the wrong conclusion” on Afghanistan
The Chief of the Defence Staff gave an annual lecture to the Royal United Services Institute last night. General Sir David Richards spoke broadly about the global environment, the response of the armed forces and particular strategic challenges. He argued that Britain’s main challenge was economic and emphasised the cultivation of strategic alliances to compensate […]
Notes on ‘Libya and the Arab Spring’ at the Media Society
So yesterday I tried to fit too many things at too many different places into one day and ended up being late for the Media Society event on reporting Libya and the ‘Arab Spring’. But here are a few incomplete notes on the panel discussion… 1. BBC vs Sky News reporting of Tripoli I think […]
ForesightNews world briefing: upcoming events 19 – 25 September
A weekly round up of world events from Monday, 19 September to Sunday, 25 September from ForesightNews By Nicole Hunt Anders Behring Breivik, the man who admitted to setting off the 22 July bomb in Oslo, killing eight people, before killing 69 people on the island of Utoya, makes his first public appearance at Oslo […]
ForesightNews world briefing: upcoming events 29 August – 4 September
A weekly round up of world events from Monday, 29 August to Sunday, 4 September from ForesightNews By Allan Williams Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega has until Monday to appeal against his extradition to Panama. The 77-year-old is currently serving a prison sentence in France after being convicted of money laundering in July 2010. On Tuesday […]
On the Media: Going at it alone as a foreign correspondent
View in iTunes Watch the event here. The rise of a new breed of foreign correspondent, a multimedia-savvy reporter who is comfortable working solo without the backup of a big news organisation – was the topic of Tuesday’s On the Media discussion. Chaired by Matthew Eltringham, editor of BBC College of Journalism website, the […]
Covering the Marines on Facebook: embedded journalism goes open source
Teru Kuwayama is embedded with the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan, but he’s not there with a traditional media organisation. He and a team of photographers are using funds from a Knight Foundation grant as part of an experimental project covering 1/8 battalion’s deployment in Helmand province. The team’s photographs and material relating to the deployment […]
Storytelling & Scriptwriting Saturday Course
A one-day workshop on understanding the craft skills needed for clear and fluent scriptwriting. The workshop will concentrate on storytelling for news and feature writing in television and radio. Featuring many TV & radio examples and practical exercises. Bring your laptops and be ready to do some writing! The workshop will be taught by Tira […]
#G20 – Twitter dominates mainstream media coverage
I’m feeling rather overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information on the G20 protests and I’m just sitting and watching. But maybe that’s my problem – there is so much to watch. I’m currently waiting for 2,383 queued tweets on a #G20 search of Twitterfall (and later I realised that I need to keep it […]
Leading Azeri Online News Portal Shuts Down
Not so long ago, on 12 February, Anar Mamedkhanov, founder of Day.az, leading Azeri media outlet, and one of the biggest online news portals in Caucasus warned his Armenian colleagues: Gentlemen, wake up, it is XXI century, year 2009 (just in case to remind you of), only day.az with the quantity of its visits and […]