Journalism
Reporting the Arab Spring: the mirage of the ‘authentic voice’
I’m breaking the radio silence on the blog to post the introduction to my latest book chapter for Mirage in the Desert: Reporting the Arab Spring. (Not to be confused with Mirage in the Dessert…that is something entirely different.) My chapter uses the case of the Gay Girl in Damascus blog, (a hoax which purported […]
Content is King – David Carr in conversation with Richard Gizbert
By Charlotte Eyre Original and innovative content will remain the keystone of the news industry as the media machine progresses, David Carr said in a discussion with Richard Gizbert on Monday. New York Times media industry columnist David Carr highlighted the problem of making journalism count in an increasingly digitalised industry when he was at […]
Paul Mason: journalism and the power of the network
He’s a self confessed “geek” who bought a Sinclair Spectrum computer with his first wage packet and says the arrival of the internet was "like Christmas". So it’s not suprising that BBC Newsnight‘s economics editor Paul Mason embraced social media with enthusiasm. One of the first BBC journalists to start a blog, Mason said during […]
BBC journalist detained in Egypt
The BBC’s Shaimaa Khalil has been arrested in Egypt while reporting from Cairo. She had travelled to Tahrir Square after Egyptian security forces had moved in to clear the area of protesters. The demonstrators have been demanding swifter political change from Egypt’s military generals amid concerns that the revolution which brought down President Hosni Mubarak […]
Paul Mason on the art of telling stories and capturing the “unadorned truth”
Watch live streaming video from frontlineclub at livestream.com By Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi Paul Mason, the music teacher turned Newsnight economics editor, shared some trade secrets at the Frontline Club last night as part of its Reflection series in association with the BBC College of Journalism. Mason, whose first live report for the BBC was on 9/11 […]
Phone hacking – ethics and tabloid journalism
View in iTunes Watch the event here. By Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi Rupert Murdoch’s positive contributions to the British press as well as the negative effects of his influence were discussed by a Frontline Club panel on phone hacking last night. Although some of the panelists concluded that the positives might even outweigh them, the negatives are “awfully […]
House of Lords launches inquiry into investigative journalism
A new inquiry into the future of investigative journalism has been announced by the House of Lords communication committee. Acknowledging that "these are difficult times for investigative journalism," which began before the closure of the News of the World and the phonehacking scandal, the call for evidence says the inquiry "will examine the future for […]
Fictional ‘Gay Girl in Damascus’ blog disappears
The ‘Gay Girl in Damascus’ blog, which was believed to have provided an authentic voice documenting the Syrian chapter of the Arab Spring, has "vanished". The author of the blog, Tom MacMaster, apparently decided to delete the contents of the blog after it reached more than a million "separate views". The blog had claimed to […]
The iPhone for war photographers
For many journalists, the iPhone has become a standard part of the toolset. But it’s also being tested to the limit by war reporters. A couple of interesting experiments from Afghanistan caught my eye this morning documenting ventures in the photographic potential of the iPhone. First, this piece in The Guardian highlighting its use by Teru […]
The time for silence is over: Journalists and sexual violence
One of the most striking aspects of the accounts of sexual assault the Committee to Protect Journalists has documented is the concerns the women and men expressed about speaking about them. Umar Cheema, a prominent political reporter for Pakistan’s, The News, who spoke to the CPJ about his abduction, torture and sexual assault in 2010, said […]
Frontline volunteer opportunity for summer: FNTV Archive
This summer the Frontline Club Charitable Trust in Paddington is offering part-time volunteer positions on an Oral History project to a small number of bright individuals. If you’re interested in journalism, war or the history of the late 20th century perhaps this is the project for you.
Frontline Television News Archive secures funding to go digital
The Heritage Lottery Fund has recently granted the Frontline Club its support to digitise the Frontline News Television archive. Read about the project and ways to get involved.
John Pilger and The Wars We Don’t See
By Christopher Czechowicz As a daring and impassioned journalist with a decades-long career, John Pilger has inspired and motivated many to ensure human rights and preserve unfiltered truth. From films such as Year Zero: The Silent Death of Cambodia (1979) to The New Rulers of the World (2001), he has unrelentingly made this his commitment. […]
War Child: helping the children of Gaza overcome the trauma of conflict
By Mike Pope Gaza is not like it is depicted in the mainstream media, its people are not doomed and it can achieve peace with Israel according to Jezza Neumann, director of War Child. Gaza is an incredibly hospitable place, the friendliest people I’ve ever met; it’s not dangerous in terms of your daily existence. […]
Five years since the first tweet: a Twitter revolution in breaking news
Today, Twitter is celebrating its birthday. Five years after the first tweet was published, its impact on the field of Internet communication and many others beyond has been much debated. Recent events in Tunisia and Egypt re-ignited the debate over Twitter’s role in the political process and whether the world has seen its first Twitter […]
We feared a crackdown when they told us to leave Yemen
Portia Walker, who is now in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, describes her deportation with three colleagues from Sana’a, Yemen’s capital and how today’s shooting of protesters confirms their fears that it could mark the beginning of a government crackdown. The Yemen Four: L-R Joshua Maricich, Haley Sweetland Edwards, Oliver Holmes and Portia […]
The age of “the inexpert” and the unexpected?
Two blogs in the past seven days from different perspectives on the upheaval in the Middle East, raising the question of whether we are in uncharted territory or if the Western media in particular has been talking to the wrong people: In a post titled Middle East uprisings: no one predicted ‘rebellious cascade‘ Channel 4 […]
‘I was concerned that I hadn’t filmed the suffering of war, just its machinery’ – Vaughan Smith on his new film showing the reality of war in Afghanistan
Vaughan Smith, founder of the Frontline Club, spent two weeks with the US Army’s 214th Aviation Regiment shooting Blood and Dust, a film being broadcast on Al Jazeera this week. The film will also be shown at the Club on 6 March and will be followed by a discussion about how war is represented by […]
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 […]
Martin Rowson: Caricatures and Commentary
Martin Rowson walked onto the stage at the Frontline Club last night with a pint and Laurie Taylor. As you would expect from a satirist, the tone of Rowson’s presentation was humorous with generous lashings of acerbic wit thrown into the mix.
Aid and the media: A troubled relationship
Watch the event here. By Gianluca Mezzofiore A panel at the Frontline Club, chaired by Mark Galloway, director of International Broadcasting Trust, an educational and media charity which works on range of projects to promote media coverage of the developing world, discussed yesterday the problems linked with media and aid. “We have ups and downs […]
The changing nature of protest: why young people are taking to the streets
From Greece, to France and even Tunisia, is there a new movement of radicalised young people emerging, asks Paul Mason on BBC 2’s Newsnight. Paul Mason, who examines how this movement is different from previous generations, will be at the Frontline Club for our On the Media event, Reporting Protest,
Looking Back at 2010: Reflections at the Frontline Club
Reflections in association with the BBC College of Journalism brings top journalists to the stage to reflect on their career’s, the work of others that has inspired them and to pass on knowledge and guidance to young journalists. In February shortly before his scheduled departure, Richard Sambrook joined us to look back on his 30 […]
Looking back at 2010: In the Picture photography events
This year, Frontline’s In the Picture strand has drawn in some big names in photography while giving a platform for new blood in the industry to showcase their work. Topics covered reached from sex-trafficking to disaster photography and from as far afield as Nigeria, Afghanistan and Vietnam. Below you can read about all and watch […]
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 […]
Afghanistan in pictures- reminding us all of the price of war
On the eve of Remembrance Day, Afghanistan and the soldiers fighting there will be at the forefront of the minds of many. Adam Ferguson, a photojournalist who has covered the war in Afghanistan extensively, will be speaking at the Frontline Club on the 10th about his work there and beyond.
Tonight in London- Portraits of War: The Democratic Republic of Congo
All Frontline members have been invited to a reception and exhibition opening to mark the 10-year observance of Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security.
A week of debate, insight and parties in the Forum
Does the Demotix citizen journalism agency offer a model for the future or will it simply undercut the professionals? Love them or hate them, Demotix has made its mark on the industry. Our networking party tonight offers the opportunity to meet Demotix CEO Turi Munthe and hear about their work as well as network and […]
Data journalism skills at the Frontline: Why you should use data to tell a more powerful story
By Jasper Jackson Data helps journalists paint a more compelling and complete picture – but only if they can interpret and present that data effectively. That was the message from journalists with extensive experience of the benefits, challenges and pitfalls of data and journalism at the Frontline on Wednesday. If you couldn’t make the event, […]