The Frontline Club

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.

Twenty years ago Nelson Mandela walked free after serving 27 years of a life sentence.

As vice president of the African National Congress Party, Nelson Mandela and seven of his comrades were imprisoned in June 1964 for their opposition to the government.

The relaxation of Apartheid laws including the lifting of the ban on the ANC by South African President FW De Klerk paved the way for the release of Nelson Mandela who went on to become President in 1994 and was credited with leading black people towards reconciliation.

On the anniversary of his release the Frontline Club will be looking at the South Africa of today and discussing how it compares with the hopes and dreams of 20 years ago.

With Alec Russell, World News Editor of the Financial Times and author of After Mandela: The Battle for the Soul of South Africa; John Battersby, UK Country Manager of the International Marketing Council of South Africa and co-author of Nelson Mandela: A Life in Photographs; Patrick Smith, editor of Africa Confidential and Gibril Faal, Chairman, African Foundation for Development (AFFORD).

Moderated by George Alagiah, BBC news presenter.

Twenty years ago Nelson Mandela walked free after serving 27 years of a life sentence.

As vice president of the African National Congress Party, Nelson Mandela and seven of his comrades were imprisoned in June 1964 for their opposition to the government.

The relaxation of Apartheid laws including the lifting of the ban on the ANC by South African President FW De Klerk paved the way for the release of Nelson Mandela who went on to become President in 1994 and was credited with leading black people towards reconciliation.

On the anniversary of his release the Frontline Club will be looking at the South Africa of today and discussing how it compares with the hopes and dreams of 20 years ago.

With Alec Russell, World News Editor of the Financial Times and author of After Mandela: The Battle for the Soul of South Africa; John Battersby, UK Country Manager of the International Marketing Council of South Africa and co-author of Nelson Mandela: A Life in Photographs; Patrick Smith, editor of Africa Confidential and Gibril Faal, Chairman, African Foundation for Development (AFFORD).

Moderated by George Alagiah, BBC news presenter.

Revealing the inner workings of the Taliban from its earliest days, a new autobiography by a senior former member, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, throws extraordinary light on the people who are fighting in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn, co-editors of My Life with the Taliban, a memoir by the former ambassador to Pakistan, will be at the Frontline Club to discuss the nature of the movement with a distinguished panel.

Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn, who also co-founded media monitoring and research site Afghanwire, are currently the only two Westerners living in Kandahar.

With their unique experience of life in Afghanistan, Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn will also be discussing with the panel if there are any grounds for reconciliation and negotiated settlement with the Taliban.

With Horia Mosadiq, Afghanistan Researcher Amnesty International; Ken Guest, freelance journalist and analyst on Afghanistan.

Moderated by Nick Fielding, former Sunday Times journalist and editor of Circling the Lion’s Den, a blog on Afghanistan

Revealing the inner workings of the Taliban from its earliest days, a new autobiography by a senior former member, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, throws extraordinary light on the people who are fighting in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn, co-editors of My Life with the Taliban, a memoir by the former ambassador to Pakistan, will be at the Frontline Club to discuss the nature of the movement with a distinguished panel.

Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn, who also co-founded media monitoring and research site Afghanwire, are currently the only two Westerners living in Kandahar.

With their unique experience of life in Afghanistan, Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn will also be discussing with the panel if there are any grounds for reconciliation and negotiated settlement with the Taliban.

With Horia Mosadiq, Afghanistan Researcher Amnesty International; Ken Guest, freelance journalist and analyst on Afghanistan.

Moderated by Nick Fielding, former Sunday Times journalist and editor of Circling the Lion’s Den, a blog on Afghanistan

Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House will again be in the chair for another of our lively discussions. First Wednesdays are an opportunity to debate with experts and commentators on a wide range of issues; This month we will focus on Haiti ahead of the International donors’ meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York in March to discuss rebuilding the country.

Almost three weeks after an earthquake devastated Haiti killing 200,000 and leaving 1.5 million homeless, the discussion will focus on the colonial history of Haiti and the role of the international community in shaping its future: What are the prospects for genuine reconstruction of the country?

We are hoping that a member of United Haitians in the UK will attend this discussion.

Panel so far: Orin Gordon, of BBC News and former head of the Caribbean Service; Astrid Zweynert, deputy editor of AlertNet; and Christian Wisskirchen, Haiti Support Group;

Peter Hallward, professor Modern European Philosophy at Middlesex University and author of Damming the Flood: Haiti, Aristide, and the Politics of Containment and Clare Lockhart, co-founder and CEO of the Institute for State Effectiveness will be with us for the first half of the evening.

In the first In the Picture of 2010 David Hoffman will unpick the “War on Photography” – oppressive policing and privacy laws that limit press freedom. A founder of the “I’m a Photographer, not a Terrorist” movement, David Hoffman has been at the forefront of combating legislation and media-driven fears that have led to working photographers being branded as potential terrorists and even paedophiles. David Hoffman will also reflect on the challenges facing the photography profession, particularly the ready availability of free substitutes for photojournalists’ work and concerns over lowering of ethical and technical standards.

David Hoffman is a British photographer with a distinguished career in capturing social issues and campaigning for photographers’ rights. David Hoffman sold his first image to the Daily Mail in 1963, and has spent more than 30 years covering news events for newspapers and independently. He made his name documenting racial and social conflict, policing, homelessness, drugs, poverty, social exclusion and environmental pollution, often through coverage of protest.

Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House will again be in the chair for another of our lively discussions. First Wednesdays are an opportunity to debate with experts and commentators on a wide range of issues; This month we will focus on Haiti ahead of the International donors’ meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York in March to discuss rebuilding the country.

Almost three weeks after an earthquake devastated Haiti killing 200,000 and leaving 1.5 million homeless, the discussion will focus on the colonial history of Haiti and the role of the international community in shaping its future: What are the prospects for genuine reconstruction of the country?

We are hoping that a member of United Haitians in the UK will attend this discussion.

Panel so far: Orin Gordon, of BBC News and former head of the Caribbean Service; Astrid Zweynert, deputy editor of AlertNet; and Christian Wisskirchen, Haiti Support Group;

Peter Hallward, professor Modern European Philosophy at Middlesex University and author of Damming the Flood: Haiti, Aristide, and the Politics of Containment and Clare Lockhart, co-founder and CEO of the Institute for State Effectiveness will be with us for the first half of the evening.

In the first In the Picture of 2010 David Hoffman will unpick the “War on Photography” – oppressive policing and privacy laws that limit press freedom. A founder of the “I’m a Photographer, not a Terrorist” movement, David Hoffman has been at the forefront of combating legislation and media-driven fears that have led to working photographers being branded as potential terrorists and even paedophiles. David Hoffman will also reflect on the challenges facing the photography profession, particularly the ready availability of free substitutes for photojournalists’ work and concerns over lowering of ethical and technical standards.

David Hoffman is a British photographer with a distinguished career in capturing social issues and campaigning for photographers’ rights. David Hoffman sold his first image to the Daily Mail in 1963, and has spent more than 30 years covering news events for newspapers and independently. He made his name documenting racial and social conflict, policing, homelessness, drugs, poverty, social exclusion and environmental pollution, often through coverage of protest.

Randa Habib will be at the Frontline Club to discuss her new book Hussein and Abdullah: Inside the Jordanian Royal Family with Hosam El Sokkari, head of BBC Arabic.

With unprecedented access to the Royal Family, it was the Amman-based journalist who broke the story that King Hussein had chosen his son, Abdullah, to succeed him to the throne and not his brother Hassan, the designated Crown Prince.

Randa Habib will discuss the insight she gained into the late King Hussein’s rule during twenty-five years of unprecedented access as well as the new King’s campaign to position himself as peace broker in the Middle East.

With: Hosam El Sokkari, head of BBC Arabic