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Can investigative journalism survive and thrive in the modern digital newsroom and its pressures?

Posted on: August 21, 2019 by admin

That and other questions will be addressed when some of the nation’s best investigative journalists responsible for breaking many of the most important, head-line grabbing stories of the past few years will debate the issue at the Society of Editors’ Annual Conference in London in November.

Those taking part in the panel will include Paul Henderson, Deputy Editor of the Daily Mirror and former Chief Investigative Reporter at the Daily Mail where he investigated multiple political and international scandals. Jane Bradley, a Pulitzer Prize finalist with her work as investigations correspondent at BuzzFeed News and Tom Bristow, head of Archant Investigations, whose work at the Eastern Daily Press has led to criminal convictions. Claire Newell, Investigations Editor at The Telegraph, will be joining the panel – her recent investigative work on Sir Philip Green highlighted a #MeToo scandal of the business world.

Society of Editors executive director Ian Murray said: “With so many pressures on today’s newsrooms it would be easy for real investigative journalism to wither on the vine, yet experience shows us this is far from the case. Can this continue, however, and what steps can be taken to strengthen even further this essential part of the industry and its role in the wider society.”

The SoE has already announced that appearing at the conference will be Elizabeth Denham, the UK’s Information Commissioner, amongst other major newspaper editors. This includes a strong line-up of national editors Alison Phillips (Daily Mirror), Christian Broughton (The Independent) and Chris Evans (The Daily Telegraph).

To find out how to secure places at this year’s conference and gala dinner on 12 November at Stationers’ Hall,  click here.

Paul Henderson

Paul Henderson is currently the Daily Mirror’s Deputy Editor and has worked as Executive Editor (Seven Days) when he joined the Mirror in 2010.

He has previously worked as Royal Correspondent for the Daily Star; spent a decade as Chief Investigative Reporter at the Daily Mail; held a role as Daily Express Chief Reporter and was News Editor and Investigations Editor at the Mail on Sunday.

Over his career he secured first interviews with Buckingham Palace cat burglar Michael Fagan; led a team to the Far East to interview Pamella Bordes after the House of Commons sex scandal and interviewed the accused Lockerbie bombers in Colonel Gaddafi’s Tripoli. While at the Mail on Sunday, his investigation into Jeffrey Archer’s bagman Michael Stacpoole ultimately led to the Tory Peer being jailed for perjury.

Last year as Sunday Mirror Interim Editor, he published the result of an 18-month investigation led by Geraldine McKelvie into the Telford child sex abuse, which gained the paper Sunday Newspaper of the Year.  

Jane Bradley

Jane Bradley is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and award-winning investigations correspondent at BuzzFeed News. Her work on abuses of power, dirty money and national security has led to criminal convictions, resignations, government inquiries and led front pages around the world. Jane began her career on the prestigious BBC Journalism Trainee Scheme before becoming one of the youngest senior broadcast journalists at the BBC aged 24, and going on to work as a producer at Panorama. She freelanced for the likes of Dispatches, PBS Frontline, and the New York Times before joining BuzzFeed UK’s founding investigations team in 2015.

Tom Bristow

Tom Bristow leads the award-winning Archant Investigations Unit. He produces and edits in-depth articles for titles including the Eastern Daily Press, Norwich Evening News, East Anglian Daily Times and Ham & High.

His stories have led to criminal convictions and his work has been shortlisted for the British Journalism Awards and long listed for the Orwell Prize.

After graduating from Edinburgh University with a Masters in History and German in 2009, Tom joined the Press Association training course in Newcastle and has been working as a journalist ever since.

He has also worked for the Liverpool Echo and The Local in Berlin.

Claire Newell

Claire Newell is the Telegraph’s Investigation Editor. In recent years, she has exposed corruption and greed in English football and allegations of sexual and racial harassment against Sir Philip Green. Claire and her team are committed to holding the powerful to account. Their work has led to political inquiries, police investigations and changes to legislation.