Lecture: Delivering Truth in a Tribal World

Speaker: Roger Mosey, Master of Selwyn College and a Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.

Special responsibilities are placed on those with a trusted public voice. Speaking truth to power and to the citizenry is rightly expected. In many areas, however, past rules governing impartiality and objectivity have broken down. Public attitudes to the media, and who they trust, are consequently changing. What is the role of regulation and professional codes in the age of social media when anyone can have a voice in the public debate? How do they fit with the modern focus on greater transparency? In an earlier age of information scarcity, impartiality and objectivity traditionally separated journalism from propaganda, entertainment and fiction. In the current age of information abundance, this is now being questioned. Does a neutral voice hold the same value today as it once did? Is the emphasis on impartiality in news actually an impediment to a free market in ideas? And with technological convergence is regulation of impartiality even achievable? The BBC itself has sometimes struggled to represent the whole of the United Kingdom in a time of fragmentation and uncertainty and has not infrequently come under fierce attack for supposed political bias.

In the Eighteenth Norfolk Cambridge Society public lecture, Roger Mosey will examine these and many other influences challenging professional journalism today and discuss how the BBC and other reputable news organisations, across the world, seek to ensure their survival in a rapidly-changing world. No one arguably is better qualified to speak on this most important subject. Roger spent most of his career at the BBC, holding positions also at various times as Head of BBC Television News, Editor of the Today programme, Controller of BBC Radio 5 Live, Director of Sport and the BBC Director of the London 2012 Olympics.

Tickets

Please note that tickets can only be bought by adults. If you are a sixth former, please arrange for your parents or a teacher to buy the tickets on your behalf, as you must be accompanied by an adult at the lecture. If this is not possible for you, we can arrange for a Norwich School staff member attending the lecture to act in loco parentis. Please contact us using the ‘Contact the event organiser’ button if you need this to happen or if you have any other questions.

The price includes a glass of wine or a soft drink, which will be served after the lecture.

The Norfolk Cambridge Society public lectures celebrate the rigorous pursuit and dissemination of truth by leading academics and distinguished others. They are open to all adults and sixth-formers and anyone is welcome to invite guests