Media Standards Trust

News Debates

The Media Standards Trust holds regular live debates to raise awareness about standards in news. These address critical questions facing the news media – the relationship between the media and public life, the boundaries between news and private life, the relationship between journalism and public relations, and so on. To receive emails about forthcoming events subscribe to the Media Standards Trust email.

Our most recent debate, 'Private Lives: a thing of the past?', with the RSA and Reuters Institute, took place on Thursday 19th Jun 2008 at 6pm. For more information, including audio of the debate, click here.

You can find recordings of some of our debates on our YouTube Channel, including our recent debate on PR vs Journalism with Nick Davies, Roy Greenslade, Lord Bell and Phil Hall. To read a report on that debate, click here.

In 2007, the Media Standards Trust ran a series of online debates. Why not browse our archive of online debates from the last twelve months?

Forthcoming Events

The Orwell Prize 2009 Launch Debate: Is journalism failing failing states?

Date & Time: Wednesday October 22 2008 6.30pm for 7pm
Location: The Frontline Club | London | W2 1QJ
Organiser: The Orwell Prize - Media Standards Trust, Political Quarterly, the Orwell Trust
Contact name: Gavin Freeguard
Contact phone:020 7608 8105
Contact email:gavin.freeguard@mediastandardstrust.org

The Orwell Prize is delighted to announce that submissions for the Orwell Prize 2009 will open on 22nd October 2008. To mark the occasion, we will be holding a launch debate around the question, ‘Is journalism failing failing states?’

The panel will comprise of Lord (Paddy) Ashdown (former Lib Dem leader, diplomat); Peter Beaumont (Journalism Prize Winner 2007, The Observer); David Loyn (BBC Developing World Correspondent, shortlisted for the Book Prize 2006); and Michela Wrong (New Statesman, shortlisted for the Book Prize 2006). The debate will be chaired by Jean Seaton, Director of the Orwell Prize, who will also announce the judges for the coming Prize.

For more details - including how you can get involved in the debate online - follow the link above.

Keywords: orwell, ashdown, beaumont, loyn, wrong, prize, journalism

More forthcoming events...

Recent Events

Private Lives - a thing of the past?

Date & Time: Thursday June 19 2008 6pm
Location: RSA, 8 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6EZ
Organiser: Media Standards Trust, RSA, Reuters Institute
Contact name: Gavin Freeguard
Contact phone:020 7608 8105
Contact email:gavin.freeguard@mediastandardstrust.org

In association with the RSA and the Reuters Institute

Join our panel of “Moral Maze” judges and expert witnesses at the RSA for a lively and topical debate, exploring the recent remarkable change in behaviour and attitudes towards privacy.

This shift has been attributed to a number of social and technological developments, such as the rise in new mobile technologies, self-publishing tools and social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, all resulting in a cultural shift towards greater self revelation.

Are attitudes towards privacy different between younger and older generations? Are younger people being hopelessly naive by putting so much private information online – unaware of the later consequences? Will we all have to get used to a world where there is almost no boundary between public and private life? What are the implications for society when people reveal so much about themselves to the world?

With Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the RSA, Claire Fox, director of Institute of Ideas, Camilla Wright, editor of Popbitch blog, Iain Dale, one of Britain's leading political commentators and Stephen Whittle, visiting fellow at the Reuters Institute of Journalism at Oxford University.

Keywords: rsa, reuters, privacy, social networking, Facebook

Debate: The growth of PR is threatening the integrity of the Press

Date & Time: Wednesday April 09 2008 6.30pm
Location: Old Cinema, 309 Regent Street
Organiser: Media Standards Trust, University of Westminster
Contact name: Gavin Freeguard
Contact phone:020 7608 8105
Contact email:gavin.freeguard@mediastandardstrust.org

Debate.

For: Nick Davies (journalist, author of Flat Earth News), Roy Greenslade (ex-editor Daily Mirror, professor of journalism, Media Guardian blogger)

Against: Lord Bell (chairman, Chime Communications), Phil Hall (ex-editor News of the World, founder of Phil Hall Associates)

Chair: Trevor Morris (Visiting Professor of Public Relations, University of Westminster)

Keywords: PR, journalism, integrity

The Orwell Prize 2008: Shortlist Announcement and Reuters Debate

Date & Time: Wednesday March 26 2008 6.30pm
Location: The Reuters Building
Organiser: Reuters, Media Standards Trust, Political Quarterly
Contact name: Gavin Freeguard
Contact phone:020 7608 8105
Contact email:gavin.freeguard@mediastandardstrust.org

The shortlist for the Orwell Prize 2008, Britain’s pre-eminent prize for political writing, was announced and accompanied by a debate, organised by Reuters, on 'Has the Left Stopped Thinking?'.

The panellists were Dr Denis MacShane MP, Greg Clark MP, Will Hutton, Matthew Parris, Peter Hitchens and Jean Seaton (chair of the Prize), and the debate was chaired by Sean Maguire (Reuters).

The Orwell Prize is administered jointly by the Media Standards Trust and Political Quarterly.

more recent events...

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