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Dissent in China
On 28 October in China’s iconic and politically sensitive Tiananmen Square, a car crashed through crowds and exploded, killing two tourists and three suspects. Just over a week later, on 6 November, one person died and eight were injured following a series of small blasts outside a Communist Party office in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province.
In a year that marks the 25th anniversary of the massacre in Tiananmen Square, we will be joined by a panel of experts to explore the significance of these two fatal incidents, looking at the levels of dissent in China and how it is being suppressed. We will also be asking who are those behind these attacks and what are their motivations.
The Death of Traditional Media?
Following on from April’s meeting of the country’s top student papers, Grapevine is bringing together aspiring journalists for another night of inspiration. Once again there will be two panels, this time looking at the future of traditional media in the age of mass data, multimedia and the Internet.
Iran: A New Chapter?
In June 2013, Hassan Rouhani was elected president of Iran, running with a mandate of “moderation and wisdom”. He promised to free political prisoners and guarantee civil rights, to return “dignity to the nation”. As dialogue with the US and other world powers continues to improve, we will be exploring the changes this new leader is enacting both on the international stage and within Iran.
Insight with Jineth Bedoya Lima: Journalism, Kidnap and Colombia’s Peace Process
Colombia is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Despite the constant threat, Colombian journalist Jineth Bedoya Lima continues to work tirelessly to investigate armed conflict, drug trafficking, organised crime and issues around women and violence. We are honoured to welcome her to the Frontline Club, she will be talking to Ed Vulliamy, a writer for The Guardian and Observer, about her prolific career as a journalist in Colombia, the work she does on conflict-related sexual violence and the ongoing peace process.
First Wednesday: South Sudan – What does the future hold for the world’s youngest country?
Fighting continues as delegations from South Sudan’s warring factions meet for talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The country, which gained its independence in July 2011, has seen at least 1,000 killed and 180,000 displaced since mid-December.
We will be joined by a panel of experts, journalists and aid workers to give you an up-to-date picture of what is happening on the ground and an insight into the divisions and tensions that have caused the conflict.
Insight with Kathy Eldon: Dying to Tell the Story
Dan Eldon was a 22-year-old photojournalist working in Mogadishu, Somalia, when he was killed in 1993. His mother, Kathy Eldon, heart broken by her son’s death, turned her mind to how she could transform the horror of what happened to him into a positive force for good. She will be joining us to talk about her journey, how she travelled to Somalia to try and understand why her son had been killed and how his life inspired her and her daughter, Amy Eldon Turteltaub, to start the Creative Visions Foundation, to support creative activists who use media and the arts to create social impact.
Syria: Changing Media Coverage?
The conflict in Syria has taken the lives of many journalists and many more have been kidnapped and remain missing. The level of risk for journalists in the country is extremely high and yet the imperative to cover what is happening there is equally so.
In partnership with the Overseas Press Club we will be bringing together a panel of journalists and editors to talk about the challenges to journalism that have arisen from the high risk of covering the conflict in Syria and the work that needs to be done to better ensure the safety of journalists working there.
Drone Journalism: The Future of News Gathering?
Interest in the potential for using drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), for journalism is growing. As the technology becomes cheaper and easier to use, journalist are experimenting with using drones for news gathering. We will be bringing together a panel of experts to explore the potential for the use of drones in journalism and to discuss the challenges this new technology presents.
Twenty Years of War Reporting with Prix Bayeux
Following our tenth anniversary exhibition at the Prix Bayeux Awards in October, we are very pleased to welcome Prix Bayeux to the Frontline Club to celebrate their twentieth anniversary. They will be bringing together a panel of their laureates including: Jeremy Bowen, BBC Middle East Editor; Christina Lamb, author and journalist with The Sunday Times; Neil Connery, correspondent for ITV News; Adrien Jaulmes, reporter with Le Figaro; and Vaughan Smith, Frontline Club founder.
Remembering Alexander Cockburn
A talented and courageous writer, and one of the most influential radical journalists of his generation, Alexander Cockburn was most at home in the political and cultural battlegrounds of the US. Join us to look back on Alexander Cockburn’s extraordinary career, exploring his view of America and his style of radical journalism. We will also hear readings from his final work, A Colossal Wreck: A Road Trip Through Political Scandal, Corruption, and American Culture, finished shortly before his death in July 2012.
First Wednesday: Has NSA spying “reached too far”?
The latest revelations from whistleblower Edward Snowden have further exposed the extent of the US National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance. As pressure mounts on Washington and the release of information continues, join us to explore what the files reveal and the consequences of this diplomatic storm. We will be examining the actions of the intelligence services and asking whether they are aligned with protecting national security or as US Secretary of State John Kerry has said, that in some cases their “actions have reached too far”.
Granta 125: After the War – with Lindsey Hilsum and Frances Harrison
How long is the shadow of a battle, an explosion, a revolution? What stories arise in the wake of devastation? To mark the publication of Granta 125: After the War, two of Britain’s foremost journalists and foreign correspondents discuss the craft, conditions and issues surrounding writing about post-conflict situations.
Egypt Crisis: Yosri Fouda in conversation with Jeremy Bowen
As political instability continues in Egypt, renowned Arab journalist Yosri Fouda will be joining the BBC’s Middle East Editor, Jeremy Bowen in conversation, to give some insight into how this situation will develop.
Peace Talks: War and Peace in Journalism – Does the Devil Have the Best Stories?
This event is organised by International Alert, in partnership with Sussex University’s School of Global Studies.
In the media, lead coverage is often given to stories and images from the front lines. As the old newsroom saying goes: “If it bleeds, it leads”. But what happens when a conflict fades from the headlines and the long path to peace begins? Can the power of the media be harnessed to highlight positive stories of peacebuilding, reconciliation and change? Join us to explore how the media depicts the stories of both conflict and peace.
Khodorkovsky: A Decade Behind Bars
October will mark the tenth year that Mikhail Khodorkovsky has spent behind bars. Once Russia’s richest and most successful businessman, he was arrested and imprisoned a decade ago, on charges that many regard as politically motivated. We will be examining the Khodorkovsky case and, following the charges against Alexei Navalny, we will be looking at the wider issue of imprisonment of opposition figures in Russia.
When Reporters Cross the Line
If the role of journalists is to bear witness to history, can they ever justify participating in the events they are reporting? A new publication by Stewart Purvis and Jeff Hulbert brings together the stories of 15 journalists caught between covering the story and stepping beyond journalistic conventions. We will be joined by the authors and some of the journalists featured to debate the boundaries and parameters of journalistic coverage, and when the rules of reporting can be bent and broken.
The Afghanistan Debate
This event is in association with BBC Service for Afghanistan. It will be held at the Shaw Theatre, 100-110 Euston Rd, London, NW1 2AJ.
As the final stage of the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan begins, we will be bringing together leading experts to look at the country’s roadmap and the legacy of the past 12 years.
Insight with Paul Danahar: The New Middle East
Nearly three years after the start of the revolution in Tunisia, which was followed by uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa, many are beginning to examine what has changed in the region. One of those that has had a front row seat of this recent history is the BBC’s Middle East Bureau Chief, Paul Danahar. He will be joining us in conversation with BBC Arabic’s Samir Farah, to share his insight and analysis of events and what he feels the future holds for the region and it’s relationship with the West.
Insight with Anabel Hernández: The Mexican Drug Lords and Their Godfathers
Anabel Hernández is one of Mexico’s leading investigative journalists. It was the kidnap and murder of her father and the subsequent refusal by the police to investigate unless her family paid a bribe that led her to journalism. She will be joining us in conversation with Ed Vulliamy, a writer for The Guardian and Observer, and author of Amexica: War Along the Borderline, to talk about the work she does recording and investigating the shocking brutality of narco violence and the complexity of the cartels, their rivalries and their links to government and business.
First Wednesday: Kenya’s fight against al-Shabaab
On 21 September Somali insurgent group al-Shabaab launched a devastating attack on a shopping centre in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. For October’s First Wednesday we will be joined by a panel of experts and journalists to discuss how the Kenyan government will respond and what the implications will be in the region. We will be examining the threat posed by al-Shabaab in the neighbouring countries and further afield, and exploring their origins and motivations.
First Wednesday: Crossing the Red Line
As the rhetoric about intervention in Syria escalates, we will be bringing together a panel of experts to examine the arguments for and against, and the implications of action or inaction.
Egypt’s New Roadmap
A year after his victory in Egypt’s historic first free election Mohamed Morsi has been ousted. Since his removal from power by the military on 3 July tensions have soared on the streets of Egypt. With events developing at great speed we will be taking stock of what has happened and asking what this means for Egypt’s future.
The Trade Off: Individual Privacy and National Security
Privacy of the individual, secrecy of the state and national security have been in sharp focus in past weeks due to the leak of material from the US’s National Security Agency (NSA). We will be joined by a panel of experts to ask whether it is possible to strike a balance.
Will 2013 see the end of Mugabe’s 33-year rule?
As the country goes to the polls we will be joined by a panel of experts to discuss what this election will mean for the future of Zimbabwe. Will 2013 see the end of Mugabe’s 33-year rule and who will replace him?
First Wednesday: Is talking to the Taliban a solution?
On 18 June Nato handed over security for the whole of Afghanistan to the Afghan government. At the same time in Doha, Qatar, the Taliban opened an office, establishing a political face to the movement. Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4′s Broadcasting House will be hosting a panel of experts to take an in-depth look at what negotiations with the Taliban mean for Afghanistan.
Gino Strada in conversation with Giles Duley: Reflections of a War Surgeon
Since Italian NGO Emergency was established in 1994 it has provided free, high quality health care to more than 5,200,000 victims of war, landmines and poverty. It is with great pleasure that we welcome its founder Gino Strada to the Frontline Club, he will be talking to photographer Giles Duley about his life and work as a war surgeon and founder of Emergency.
America’s Shifting Foreign Policy
As Barack Obama enters the second year of his second and final term in office, he faces considerable foreign policy challenges. Join us as we dissect Obama’s foreign policy ambitions, exploring the shifts in focus and how they are playing out. Will he achieve his second term goals? Can he successfully pull focus to Asia or will the conflict in Syria direct attention back to the Middle East?
Iran After Ahmadinejad
Following the presidential election in Iran, we will be bringing together a panel of experts to deliberate the results and what they mean for the future of the country. In association with BBC Persian Service, we will be taking an in-depth look at Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, exploring his affiliations and policies at home and internationally.
Reconstructing Haiti
On 12 January 2010 the deadliest earthquake ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere hit Haiti, claiming between 230,000 and 300,000 lives. We will be joined by a panel of experts from the humanitarian aid community and reporters who covered the earthquake and the subsequent reconstruction efforts, to examine why – after three years and $15.3 billion – the country is still in crisis.
In conversation with Paul Conroy – Under the Wire: Marie Colvin’s Final Assignment
Paul Conroy will be joining us in conversation with international editor at Channel 4 News, Lindsey Hilsum, to talk about Under The Wire. Offering a testimony of war reportage, and a personal account of the final assignment he embarked on with Marie Colvin, one of the foremost journalists of our generation.
