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

Louise Court, Editor of Cosmopolitan

Louise Court will address the society on 10th of June - here we provide some background about the Editor of every woman's bible.

Louise Court started her journalistic career in a traditional, old-fashioned way: grafting her way in a junior reporter role at the local East Grinstead Courier. The first front page article of this fun, fearless female? Winning the pancake race in the village.

As an aspiring Fleet Street hack, Court took up many work experience opportunities, including one at the Surrey Mirror paper where she was told, “Sorry, we only take high-fliers”. But that didn’t discourage Louise. She soon left the junior reporter position and became a showbusiness writer at Express Papers. Subsequent jobs followed: she joined Woman’s Own as an assistant editor in 1990; in 1994 she joined Best, becoming editor four years later. In 2005 Court was appointed editorial director of ACP-mag and, finally, in February 2007 she became the Editor of every woman’s bible – Cosmopolitan.

Court has always had a passion for magazines – as soon as she started earning she would buy every glossy mag she could afford. Journalism flows in her blood – both her dad Monty and her brother are journalists. It was Louise’s dad who inspired her to enter the industry. He was news editor at the Daily Mail and the Sunday Mirror and always gave constructive criticism to his daughter. He would comment on the articles saying, "That part was good, but that was a very clichéd intro", inspiring and pushing her further.

Louise has two sons and her favourite issue of Cosmopolitan is the annual naked male centerfold edition. She loves every aspect of her job, but particularly enjoys designing Cosmo covers.

Check out her Twitter account: http://twitter.com/louisecosmoed

The event is kindly sponsored by Patisserie Valerie.

Trinity Term 2010

Dear All,

Trinity is upon us and we're pleased to present an exciting list of speaker events for the term ahead.

We have something that will suit everyone - from the investigative journalists amongst us to the fashion-obsessed glossy-magazine loving.

Nicholas Coleridge, Managing Director of Conde Nast

SPONSORED BY WPP
23rd May, 8.15PM
Coleridge has been UK Managing Director and Global Vice-President of Conde Nast (the world-famous publishers of Vogue, GQ, Tatler, Glamour, Vanity Fair and many other titles) for 19 years. Having appointed most of the current crop of editors and also written many best-selling novels, it is perhaps unsurprising that Coleridge is one of the best-connected people in British media.

Louise Court, Editor of Cosmopolitan

10th June, 7PM

Louise Court is a definition of a fun, fearless female. A big personality and a brilliant leader of Cosmo since 2006, she has climbed her way up since she started off as trainee. She became a showbiz writer at Express Newspapers before joining Woman's Own as an assistant editor in 1990. In 1994, she joined Best, becoming editor four years later. In 2005 Ms Court was appointed editorial director of ACP-mag.

William Lewis, former Editor-in-Chief of Telegraph Media Group and Journalist of the Year 2010 (in association with the Oxford Union)

15 June, Oxford Union

Lewis is doubtlessly the most celebrated journalist of the year 2010: not only he scooped the prestigious award from Press Association, but also The Daily Telegraph was awarded the Newspaper of the Year along a string of awards for the coverage of MPs expenses investigation. As the editor-in-chief of the paper at the time, he oversaw the coverage of the story. Lewis also supported Daily Telegraph's controversial shift to skepticism towards climate change and was the first editor to integrate online and print editorial teams into one.

Geordie Greig, Editor of the London Evening Standard and Editorial Director of The Independent
Date TBC
A former Editor of Tatler, Greig was instrumental in the sale of the Evening Standard to the Lebedevs last year. In his first year in charge of the paper, he has radically distanced it from its Daily Mail history, running an advertising campaign apologising for past errors, and has taken the publication free. As part of the Lebedevs recent purchase of The Independent, Greig has also been appointed Editorial Director of those titles. He has been called 'the world's greatest networker'.

Paul Lewis, Reporter of the Year 2010, The Guardian
Date TBC
Lewis is one of The Guardian's most admired reporters. He won plaudits for his tenacious uncovering of the police's treatment of protesters at the G20 summit in London last year.

More information about locations and how to apply to dine with the speakers will follow shortly.

We will also be posting separate entries with more information about each speaker before the events.

Looking forward to seeing you at an event soon!

Marta and Tom

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

Oxford is incredibly lucky to have an Institute devoted solely to the study of journalism. However, not many undergraduates know about it and even if they do, they do not know what it entails or how to get involved.

That is why Oxford Media Society asked David Levy, the Institute Director, to tell us about the Reuters Institute in a Q&A format. We would like to thank David for kindly agreeing to do so.

Oxford Media Society (OMS): What is the Reuters Institute?

David Levy, Institute Director (DL): The Reuters Institute for Study of Journalism (RISJ) is part of the Department of Politics and international Relations. It is dedicated to the rigorous international study of journalism in a way that brings together the perspectives of academic analysts, practising journalists and policymakers.

The Institute has three main areas of activity:
a) the Journalist Fellowship Programme which brings practising mid career journalists to Oxford from across the globe to conduct research on an aspect of journalism for periods of 3-9 months

b) publications, events and a range of interventions in the debate about the future of journalism

c) academic research into journalism organised around three themes - The Changing Business of Journalism, the Changing Practise of Journalism, and Journalism & Democracy/Accountability

OMS: Who came up with the idea?

DL: The Institute was created in 2006 and built on the Reuters Foundation Journalism Fellowship Programme which had been established for over 20 years. The idea was developed between several figures in Oxford, including John Llloyd, Contributing Editor to the FT and Director of Journalism at RISJ, and the Reuters Foundation who awarded an initial grant of £1.75m for the establishment of the first 5 year period of the Institute.

OMS: What are the main achievements of the RISJ to date?

DL: The Institute has developed the Fellowship Programme which now brings over 20 journalists a year to Oxford, has organised a range of high profile seminars and lectures in Oxford and elsewhere, and launched two new publication series RISJ Challenges and Working Papers that bring RISJ research to a wider audience. Challenges published in the past year include What's Happening to our News? an investigation into the impact of the internet on UK news organisation, Trust in the News a study of how trust is changing and two publications on Citizen Journalism - Red Kayaks and Hidden Gold, by John Kelly of the Washington Post and Social Media and Mainstream Media, by Nic Newman of the BBC. RISJ also has three research projects underway currently; on 'Comparative European Journalism', 'The Changing Business of Journalism and its impact on democracy', and ‘International News in Africa, India and Pakistan: provision, consumption and trust in a rapidly changing broadcasting environment’

OMS: How can Oxford undergraduates get involved in the RISJ's work?

DL: We hold two seminars a week - one on a Wednesday lunchtime at Green Templeton College and another on Media and Politics at Nuffield College on Fridays at 5pm. Both are open to all. In addition we are always open to ideas from undergraduates about issues we might tackle and our journalist fellows are a potential source of information about journalism, both within the UK and internationally. (The details of current journalist felllows are listed on our website and past journalist fellows research papers can be found there)

OMS: What plans do you have for next term? How can we find out more about the Institute?

DL: Our seminar lists will be posted on our website very soon (by week 0) and can be found at http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/ You can also register there for an RSS feed of updates to our website and to download any of our publications. If you would like to be added to our mailing list please e-mail our Web and Publicity officer kate.hanneford-smith@politics.ox.ac.uk