Part 1 of the series “The Murdoch Affair and the Leveson Inquiry: A Critical Assessment” presented by Media @ McGill
Earlier this year, Peter Oborne was summoned as a witness before Lord Justice Leveson in a public inquiry investigating the ethics and practices of the British press, following the phone-hacking allegations that began with the now-defunct News of the World tabloid. With twenty-years’ experience as a political journalist, Oborne observed that he “saw again and again journalists and politicians entering a conspiracy against the readers.”
He covered this story in his 2010 Dispatches film, “Tabloids and Telephone Hacking,” in which he investigated the News of the World’s working relationship with the police, as well as claims of broader links between News International and the current British government. His current article in the argues that “the British media should be understood as a core part of the governing machine.” His talk will address journalistic practices as well as the ties between key media figures and politicians in Britain, while offering insight into the expected outcomes of the Leveson inquiry.
Peter Oborne is the chief political commentator for The Daily Telegraph and a former political editor for The Spectator. He has written three books addressing British politics and the media, including The Rise of Political Lying (2005) and The Triumph of the Political Class (2007). Oborne has also regularly contributed to the investigative journalism programs Dispatches and The Unreported World commissioned by Channel 4 in Britain.
This Media@McGill event is free and open to the public. It will be followed by a panel discussion on the “Hackgate” scandal on March 28, 2013, with speakers Sarah Ellison (journalist), Damian Tambini (LSE) and Des Freedman (Goldsmiths).
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