The future of journalism following the phone hacking scandal will be explored this evening at a high-profile debate on press regulation staged in Bristol by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Called Hacked to Bits: Restoring public trust in journalism, this evening’s event will give some of the leading players the chance to have their say.
On the panel will be Christopher Jefferies, the landlord of murdered Bristol landscape architect Jo Yeates, who will describe his experience at the hands of a number of tabloids.
Steve Brodie, BBC West’s respected home affairs correspondent, who covered the Jo Yeates case, will look at the relationship between the police and the press during the investigation, and also appearing will be Lord Hunt, chair of the Press Complaints Commission.
The past year has been the most turbulent for the press in decades, with the outcry over phone hacking leading to the demise of the News of the World and the ongoing inquiry into the media being conducted by Lord Justice Leveson.
Other panellists include Thais Portilho-Shrimpton, co-ordinator of the Hacked Off campaign against phone hacking and Richard Peppiatt, a former Daily Star reporter, who has spoken out about how he felt obliged to make up stories and how he felt the Star had an anti-Muslim agenda.
The debate will be chaired by NUJ president Donnacha DeLong, who said: “Self-regulation by the media bosses has failed and failed miserably. We need a new way to regulate the media to ensure that ethical behaviour is maintained, while also avoiding damaging state interference.
“The NUJ will continue to work with the Leveson inquiry to try to establish the best and most open form of regulation for the UK.”
The Bristol branch of the NUJ is staging the debate in conjunction with Bristol Festival of Ideas, the Bristol-based media charity MediaWise and European media project MediaAct. Bristol Evening Post editor Mike Norton also takes part in the debate.
It takes place from 7.30pm at the Arnolfini. Tickets are £6.50 (£5 concessions and NUJ members).
