On the Media

January 12, 2012

How to become a freelance foreign correspondent

By Helena Williams Last year was the year of the freelance foreign correspondent. The tumultuous events of 2011 gave freelance journalists unprecedented access to breathless, breaking news stories in the Arab world – unlike Iraq and Afghanistan, where embedding restrictions applied, freelancers were free to travel and compete on the frontline. With the increasing attraction […]


January 11, 2012 7:00 PM

FULLY BOOKED On the media: Becoming a freelance foreign correspondent


This event is now fully booked but you will be able to watch it live here and follow the discussion on #fcfreelance.

With uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa setting a relentless pace in this year’s news agenda, media outlets have frequently turned to freelances to cover events in countries where they are without staff bureaus and wire services.

The Frontline Club, in association with the BBC College of Journalism, will be bringing together a panel of freelances who will discuss the practicalities of life as a freelance foreign correspondent from setting up in a country to finding and pitching stories and dealing with the realities of conflict.


June 1, 2011

Graham Holliday: Five secrets about working abroad as a freelance correspondent

Frontline club – solo foreign correspondent View more documents from Graham Holliday Here’s freelance journalist Graham Holliday‘s presentation on working as a freelance. Graham, who is living in Rwanda where he runs Kigali Wire, a news wire, photojournalism site and blog, discusses freelancing in 2011 and his "five little secrets" about working abroad.


April 14, 2011

Can Arab state-owned media recover from crisis of credibility?

Does state media have a role to play in the Arab world in the wake of revolutions in the region? A panel of experts and a packed audience discussed this at last night’s event, which was chaired by author and broadcaster Tom Fenton and in association with the BBC College of Journalism. You can listen […]


March 22, 2011 7:00 PM

POSTPONED Trial by media: Is press coverage redefining justice?

The coverage of the Joanna Yeates murder investigation has again raised questions about contempt of court laws and the way the media appears to be pushing the boundaries of reporting restrictions.
While the banning of ITV journalists at a police press conference during the investigation into the murder reflects tensions between the police and the media, the News International phone hacking scandal raises questions about the working relationship between the police and the tabloid press in particular.


February 16, 2011

How Twitter and Facebook are changing protests and journalism

    By Will Spens The recent demonstrations across the Arab world, unrest in Ireland, Greece and France and the student protests in Britain have highlighted what appears to be an unprecedented revolt against power structures around the world. Chaired by Steve Crawshaw, author and international advocacy director for Amnesty International, the discussion focused on […]


February 15, 2011 7:00 PM

FULLY BOOKED The changing nature of protest: does the mainstream media get it?

From regime change in Tunisia, persistent calls for President Mubarak to step down in Egypt, and protests in Jordan and Syria to student demonstrations in Britain and unrest in Ireland, Greece and France – we are witnessing unprecedented revolt against power structures around the world. But are journalists equipped to understand the nature of these protests, what drives them and how they are organised?


January 11, 2011 7:00 PM

On the Media: WikiLeaks – Holding up a mirror to journalism?

Throughout 2010 whistleblower website WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange were making headlines with the release of classified documents. Both the leaks and the controversy surrounding Assange have been covered extensively by the media. For the first On the Media discussion of the year we are going to be putting the spotlight on the media and asking what the WikiLeaks operation and the media coverage of it tells us about the press.


November 24, 2010

On The Media – Mort Rosenblum: Little Bunch of Madmen

Watch the full event here.  “Today, guidance is more vital than ever. At the extreme, it saves lives. It can mean the difference between insipid insight and getting things dead wrong,” said Mort Rosenblum, reading aloud from his new book Little Bunch of Madmen on international reporting last night. “Trial and error is no way […]


November 23, 2010 7:00 PM

On the Media: Mort Rosenblum – Little Bunch of Madmen

Since 1965 Mort Rosenblum has covered war and peace on seven continents: civil strife, velvet revolution, climate chaos, and everything in between. As Associated Press special correspondent, he’s been shot at, locked up, lied to and shaken down. Rosenblum will be joining us to look back on the last forty years that form the lessons and stories of Little Bunch of Madmen. He will be joined on stage by celebrated foreign correspondent Jon Swain, the discussion will be chaired by author and broadcaster Tom Fenton. If you are a young aspiring journalist this is an event and a book not to be missed.


October 12, 2010 7:00 PM

TV journalism in the 21st century: The real golden age?

View in iTunes Featuring: — Peter Horrocks, BBC director of global news — Ben Cohen, Channel 4 News technology correspondent — Greg Beitchman, global editor of the Reuters news agency — Simon Bucks, associate editor at Sky News. Chaired by Matt Wells, head of audio at the Guardian, and presenter of the Media Talk podcast. There is much talk […]