The Frontline Club

Veteran BBC foreign correspondent John Simpson will be at the Frontline Club on the eve of the publication of his new book Unreliable Sources examining the British press and its reporting of key events throughout history.

John Simpson is the BBC’s World Affairs Editor and one of the world’s most experienced and authoritative journalists. He has covered many of the biggest stories of recent times from the Iranian revolution, to the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe and Russia, the Gulf War and the wars in Bosnia, the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and their overthrow in 2001 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

John Simpson has won a number of awards including three Baftas, a Golden Nymph award for his reporting of Ayatollah Khomeini’s return to Iran and an International Emmy award for News Coverage for his report on the fall of Kabul for BBC ONE’s Ten O’Clock News in 2002 and an RTS award for his reporting during the invasion of Iraq.

His latest book Unreliable Sources: How the Twentieth Century Was Reported turns an eye to how Great Britain has been transformed by its free press and asks whether the press can ever be truly free and whether we would desire it to be so.

Unreliable Sources by John Simpson is published by Macmillan on 19 March.

An opportunity to hear the influential commentator Timothy Garton Ash discussing his work and the events of the past decade with Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow.

The Guardian columnist and Oxford historian witnessed the fall of Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia, visited Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and was in the Ukraine during the Orange revolution.

His reflections on the pivotal events of the past decade, including the 2008 American presidential election and his writings on the future of Europe, multiculturalism and terrorism are included in his recent collection of "mini-essays" titled Facts are Subversive: Political Writing from a Decade without a Name.

Hear Timothy Garton Ash discussing the turbulent first decade of the new millennium, his belief in the importance of facts in journalism and why establishing them remains a political and a moral imperative.

Timothy Garton Ash is the author of nine books of political writing. His essays appear regularly in the New York Review of Books and he writes a weekly column in the Guardian.

An opportunity to hear the influential commentator Timothy Garton Ash discussing his work and the events of the past decade with Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow.

The Guardian columnist and Oxford historian witnessed the fall of Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia, visited Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and was in the Ukraine during the Orange revolution.

His reflections on the pivotal events of the past decade, including the 2008 American presidential election and his writings on the future of Europe, multiculturalism and terrorism are included in his recent collection of "mini-essays" titled Facts are Subversive: Political Writing from a Decade without a Name.

Hear Timothy Garton Ash discussing the turbulent first decade of the new millennium, his belief in the importance of facts in journalism and why establishing them remains a political and a moral imperative.

Timothy Garton Ash is the author of nine books of political writing. His essays appear regularly in the New York Review of Books and he writes a weekly column in the Guardian.

At this month’s First Wednesday discussion we will be looking at Operation Moshtarak in Afghanistan: its aims, achievements so far and likelihood of success.

With: Homayoun Tandar, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to London; Colonel Stuart Tootal who led the Parachute Regiment battalion that was sent to Helmand in 2006; Emal Pasarly, Multimedia Editor for the BBC Pashto-Persian service and journalist and human rights activist Horia Mosadiq.

Part of the discussion will also be devoted to the role of the media – to what extent we are able to get a true picture of what is going on on the ground?

With: Frontline Club founder Vaughan Smith, who has recently returned from filming in Helmand Province; journalist Stephen Grey; Maj Simon Bergman, who served in the British Military from 1985 to 2006 in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Chaired by Paddy O’Connell, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House.

Watch Vaughan’s remarkable dispatch from Helmand here…

At this month’s First Wednesday discussion we will be looking at Operation Moshtarak in Afghanistan: its aims, achievements so far and likelihood of success.

With: Homayoun Tandar, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to London; Colonel Stuart Tootal who led the Parachute Regiment battalion that was sent to Helmand in 2006; Emal Pasarly, Multimedia Editor for the BBC Pashto-Persian service and journalist and human rights activist Horia Mosadiq.

Part of the discussion will also be devoted to the role of the media – to what extent we are able to get a true picture of what is going on on the ground?

With: Frontline Club founder Vaughan Smith, who has recently returned from filming in Helmand Province; journalist Stephen Grey; Maj Simon Bergman, who served in the British Military from 1985 to 2006 in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Chaired by Paddy O’Connell, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House.

Watch Vaughan’s remarkable dispatch from Helmand here…

As journalists, lawyers and peace activists – yet again – pore over the details of the Iraq invasion, isn’t it time to consider what role the media played in the conflict? Were reporters duped by Tony Blair’s “dodgy dossier”? And have they fairly reported the chaos and slow recovery of Iraq since then?

Our Media Inquiry will be asking these questions and looking at how the lessons of Iraq will affect the reporting of future conflicts.

In this special event we will be hearing from key “witnesses” from the world of journalism to find out what happened in newsrooms and if there are lessons to be learnt for the future.

Just like the Chilcot inquiry, this isn’t a trial. But we would like some answers.

Moderator: Paddy O’Connell, presenter of Broadcasting House

Participants: Nick Davies, author of Flat Earth News, in which he examined falsehood and distortion in the media; Patrick Cockburn Middle East correspondent for the Independent, who has reported extensively on Iraq, and journalist and author David Rose; Kevin Marsh, editor of the BBC College of Journalism and former editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

As journalists, lawyers and peace activists – yet again – pore over the details of the Iraq invasion, isn’t it time to consider what role the media played in the conflict? Were reporters duped by Tony Blair’s “dodgy dossier”? And have they fairly reported the chaos and slow recovery of Iraq since then?

Our Media Inquiry will be asking these questions and looking at how the lessons of Iraq will affect the reporting of future conflicts.

In this special event we will be hearing from key “witnesses” from the world of journalism to find out what happened in newsrooms and if there are lessons to be learnt for the future.

Just like the Chilcot inquiry, this isn’t a trial. But we would like some answers.

Moderator: Paddy O’Connell, presenter of Broadcasting House

Participants: Nick Davies, author of Flat Earth News, in which he examined falsehood and distortion in the media; Patrick Cockburn Middle East correspondent for the Independent, who has reported extensively on Iraq, and journalist and author David Rose; Kevin Marsh, editor of the BBC College of Journalism and former editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

In the first Reflections of the year Richard Sambrook will look back on his 30-year career at the BBC before his scheduled departure later this year. Currently Director of the BBC’s Global News division, Richard Sambrook has worked on some of the major stories of the past three decades.

As a senior producer for the Nine O’Clock News he worked on the coverage of the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and co-ordinated the coverage of the war in Bosnia. Fourteen years later as Director of News in 2003 he defended the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme story claiming Tony Blair’s government had exaggerated claims over Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and later gave evidence to the Hutton Inquiry.

Richard Sambrook will be discussing the stories and people who have shaped his career with Vin Ray, director of the BBC College of Journalism

In the first Reflections of the year Richard Sambrook will look back on his 30-year career at the BBC before his scheduled departure later this year. Currently Director of the BBC’s Global News division, Richard Sambrook has worked on some of the major stories of the past three decades.

As a senior producer for the Nine O’Clock News he worked on the coverage of the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and co-ordinated the coverage of the war in Bosnia. Fourteen years later as Director of News in 2003 he defended the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme story claiming Tony Blair’s government had exaggerated claims over Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and later gave evidence to the Hutton Inquiry.

Richard Sambrook will be discussing the stories and people who have shaped his career with Vin Ray, director of the BBC College of Journalism

A panel discussion that will examine the impact that social media will have on the election in 2010. How will the broadcasters and newspapers use the web in this election? Will the political parties make use of techniques pioneered by Howard Dean and perfected during Barack Obama’s campaign that are said to have secured him the presidency in 2008?

Bloggers have already claimed to have challenged the cosy relationship that exists between the Westminster lobby and politicians. What difference will the use of social media make to the traditions of reporting an election?

Confirmed on the panel so far: Guido Fawkes, of Order-order.com; Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy; Chris Condron, head of digital strategy, Press Association, and Alberto Nardelli CEO and co-founder of Tweetminster.com.

Moderator: Niall Paterson, Sky News political correspondent.

A media partner for this event is Audioboo, the audio blogging service.