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Press freedom, women in journalism, West Ham and the BBC – please discuss

February 7, 2014 - Posted in footy news Posted by:

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Four unmissable media events are coming up over the next couple of weeks. Here they are in chronological order. Note that tickets must be bought for three of them, while the fourth requires advance registration…

Life after Leveson: the future of media freedom in the UK

Index on Censorship is staging a discussion on press freedom against the background of the continuing row over a new form of press regulation and the introduction of a new defamation law.

Taking part will be Gill Phillips (Guardian Media Group’s legal director), Gavin Millar QC (of Doughty Street Chambers), Jonathan Heawood (director of the Impress Project) and Tom Phillips (Buzzfeed UK). It will be chaired by Padraig Reidy of Index on Censorship.

It will take place on Wednesday 19 February (6.30pm-8pm) at Doughty Street Chambers. Details here. Register for tickets here

How can women succeed in journalism?

Women in Journalism and Wannabe Hacks are staging a panel discussion on how women can make it in the media industry.

On the panel will be Krissi Murison, Sunday Times magazine associate editor; Fay Schelsinger, home news editor at The Times; Katie Hind, Sunday People showbiz editor; Sue Ryan, head of the Daily Mail’s trainee reporters’ scheme; Alice Vincent, Daily Telegraph arts and entertainment writer; and Jennifer Richardson, editor of Chemist + Druggist magazine. In the chair will be Kay Burley, the Sky News anchor.

It takes place on Thursday 20 February (6.30pm arrival for 7.30pm start) at Trinity Mirror’s offices in Canary Wharf. The discussion will be followed by a drinks reception. Prices: £5 for students for the event or £10 for a year’s annual WiJ membership; £10 for WiJ members; £15 for non-members.

More details here and here and here. Book tickets here

Blowing bubbles with West Ham manager Sam Allardyce

The London Press Club is hosting an evening with one of football’s most entertaining characters – the current manager of West Ham United, Sam Allardyce. Previously manager of Bolton, Newcastle and Blackburn, Allardyce joined West Ham in 2011 and immediately secured the team’s promotion to the Premier League.

This season, things have been less happy. Hammers fans have been singing the club’s anthem, “I’m forever blowing bubbles”, with gusto but they have watched their team lose most of their matches. So what will big Sam have to say about that? Billed as “a rare encounter”, it’s unlikely to be a dull evening.

It will be held at the London sports bar, Rileys on Haymarket, starting at 6.30pm on Tuesday 25 February. More details here.

Places are limited, with priority given to club members. Email to reserve your space – free for members; £10 for non-members payable on the door.

What does the future hold for the BBC?

The Media Society is marking the publication of the book Is the BBC in crisis?* with a discussion based around its title.

Hardly a month passes without the BBC being engulfed in some kind of controversy. There has been the Jimmy Savile scandal, the swift departure of director-general George Entwistle, the golden pay-offs scandal and the continuing alarm over decreasing budgets. Is public trust in the BBC declining? Will the charter be renewed intact in 2017? What should happen and why?

Answering these questions, and arguing about them, will be Professor Steve Barnett of Westminster university and David Elstein, former chief executive of Channel Five, head of programming at BSkyB and director of programmes at Thames TV. Trying to keep order will be Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4′s The Media Show.

It will take place at the Adam Street private members’ club on 5 March (6pm-8pm). Details here. Book here

*Is the BBC in crisis? edited by John Mair, Richard Tait and Richard Lance Keeble will be published by Abramis on 1 March.

  • Media events and conferences
  • Press freedom
  • Press regulation
  • Media law
  • Women
  • West Ham United
  • Sam Allardyce
  • BBC
  • Kay Burley
  • Sky News
  • David Elstein
Roy Greenslade

theguardian.com