An Audience with Steve Hewlett

THE DOLPHIN ROOM, ST JOHN'S COLLEGE, THURSDAY 1ST WEEK, 26TH APRIL, 8PM

If new media is changing our language so much that ‘to google’ is now a verb recognised by the Oxford English Dictionary then surely it is only a matter of time before the noun ‘panorama’ has a picture added next to it – and it may well be a picture of Steve Hewlett, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s ‘The Media Show’.

Not only did Steve Hewlett run the BBC’s current affairs flagship and the world’s longest-running public affairs television programme ‘Panorama’ from 1995-1997, but his experience of the media world has truly been panoramic. Beginning initially as a BBC researcher for BBC Nationwide, Steve spent much of the 80s heavily involved in Channel 4 to where he returned as Head of Factual after his stint with Panorama. He has also held the position of Managing Director of Carlton, the former ITV franchise

He is also one of the most respected media commentators in the country today, writing a regular column for the Guardian and appearing regularly on radio and television.

Steve picked up the Nick Clarke Award for Best Broadcast Interview in 2011 with the then-chair of the Press Complaints Commission over their handling of the hacking scandal. This grilling showed just how effective ‘polite insistence’ and humour can be; the theme of the interview was captured when Baroness Buscombe argued that the PCC protects ‘the privacy of individuals’ and Steve suggested the tiny exception: ‘. . .unless someone is getting their phone hacked’.

In his varied career Steve Hewlett has ranged from being executive producer of ‘Children’s Hospital’ to interviewing the doctor at the heart of things in ‘The Man Who Killed Michael Jackson’. He is also a visiting Professor of Journalism and Broadcast Policy at the University of Salford.  

Steve will be giving our members the benefit of his valuable insight into the media industry, so if you are a journalist raring to go or just a casual observer with an interest in the future of the press or the ethics of media in this country then sitting in the bar crying over collections results just isn’t an option for the night of Thursday 1^st week (26^th April).

You need to be in The Dolphin Room, St. John’s College, at 8pm, if you want to catch the pundit-in-chief for the British media today. Join us on Facebook here! or follow us on Twitter, @oxfordmediasoc.

Everyone is more than welcome, with free entry for members and a cost of £2 for non-members. Annual membership can also be bought for £10.

If you would like to apply to have a meal with Steve beforehand, please email oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com. There will probably be a waiting list but this is a great opportunity to get to discuss some of the most pressing issues in the media at the moment.

Elizabeth Culliford