17.43. I’m now heading off to the evening reception – it wouldn’t be an SoE conference without one – so thanks for logging on, hope it’s been informative.
17.38. Society president Martin Breen, left, closes the formal part of the conference by thanking all the panellists and speakers. “Our industry remains robust and Society of Editors membership has actually grown. A lot of what we have heard today will translate into ideas to take back to your newsrooms.”
17.28. Martin Breen announces an Outstanding Contribution to Journalism Award to Christina Lamb OBE, chief foreign correspondent of the Sunday Times. Christina, who is currently in Ukraine, sent a video message to the conference by way of a thank you.
17.24. Sone stirring final words from Alok Sharma. “The world has agreed what it needs to do. Our task now is to deliver it. To do that, we need to do what you do best – hold governments and businesses to account. If they do not deliver on their commitments, you have the tools to hold them to account. Climate change will ultimately be the biggest story of the 21st century. We need you to tell it, we need you to shape it.”
17.21. Mr Sharma reveals that, in 2021, newspapers published nine editorials supportive of action to tackle climate change to every editorial opposing it.
17.19. Alok Sharma: “As journalists, you are used to following the money…there’s a reason why financial institutions with more than 330 trillion dollars on their balance sheets have signed up to net zero. The reason for all of this is because businesses all around the world can see the economic benefits of net zero. One thing is clear, climate change will define the future.”
17.09. Alok Sharma, left, takes the stage and begins by praising the “tenacity and the rigour” of the British press. “You are unrelenting, uncompromising and fearless in your pursuit of truth….this is a credit to your industry and the press freedom the country holds so dear.”
17.06. Finally we come to the keynote address by Alok Sharma, president of COP 26 and government minister. SoE president Martin Breen of Belfast’s Sunday Life introduces him.
16.41. Former News of the World editor Paul Connew asks what can done to stop Vladimir Putin “brainwashing millions of people” about what is happening in the war. Simon Robinson of Reuters says: “We continue to do factual, old-fashioned journalism. This has been an incredible opportunity for old-fashioned journalism to shine through and that is having an impact.” The BBC’s Marianna Spring concurs.
16.07. The final panel discussion of the day features on the Ukraine conflict and how war coverage has changed. What is it like to cover a war in 2022 and how difficult is it to report from the frontlines of the crisis? With British media outlets believed to have more than 50 journalists in Ukraine at any one time, how do editors keep their staff safe and battle against disinformation to ensure the truth is told?
Moderator is Tessa Chapman, Chief Correspondent, 5 News, and panellists are: Marianna Spring, Specialist Disinformation and social media reporter, BBC; Nick Fagge, Senior Reporter, MailOnline’s Global team; Jonathan Levy, Director of News-gathering and Operations, Sky News; and Simon Robinson, Reuters Global Managing Editor, Newsroom
16.00. Ahead of the next session, delegates are shown a tribute compiled by Sky to journalists who have lost their lives covering the Russia – Ukraine conflict.
15.16. The discussion is opened up to the floor. Unsurprisingly the first question centres on how to get the so-called tech giants – Google and Facebook – to pay publishers for content. However Edward McCann of Belfast Telegraph owner Mediahuis responds: “Big tech is not going to save us. We don’t want to be reliant on a third party, it’s about building a direct relationship with our readers. ”
Jessica Hayes adds: “We have to get out of this mindset that people aren’t prepared to pay for quality journalists. They are.”
14.59. No likelihood of paywalls being introduced at either Reach plc titles or The Guardian in the near future. Both panellists. Guardian News and Media’s Jessica Hayes who helped launch the title’s contributions model says: “What we’re doing is currently working quite well.” Likewise Reach’s Becky Clay says its advertising-led model is working well. However Edward McCann of Belfast Telegraph owner Mediahuis says the paywall introduced on the Bel Tel in 2020 has exceeded its targets despite initial concern that it would be difficult to achieve the scale on a regional title. “We’ve expanded our newsroom, we’ve hired journalists from other titles,” he says.
14.41. Jessica Hayes speaks about the Guardian’s contributions strategy. “We found very early on that there was that appetite to fund our journalism. In establishing contributions one of the first things we wanted to do is listen to our readers. People weren’t necessarily giving to us because they supported our political stance but to preserve open journalism.”
Becky Clay, head of invention at Reach plc, says her title “makes [her] sound like Harry Potter. ” Her actual role is working with advertisers on revenue-generating branded content for Reach publications.
14.30. Next up – pay-ups or paywalls? What is the future for making news pay? Is there a perfect paywall or must tech giant platforms play more fairly? Panellists are: Ian MacGregor, Emeritus Editor, The Telegraph; Jessica Hayes, Deputy Director of Global Supporter strategy, The Guardian; Becky Clay, Head of Invention, Reach plc;
Louise Close, Head of Live, Evening Standard; Edward McCann, Deputy Publisher, Mediahuis Ireland
13.21. Speaking about the Reporters Charter, John Battle of ITN says: “I don’t think anyone is going to fall off their chair and say wow, this is completely new, but it’s the first time it has all been drawn together. It means journalists have a working tool which they can use when they go to court. I hope it will enable journalists to do their job better and that after today, the lot of the court reporter will get a little bit easier.”
13.12. A Reporters’ Charter, aimed at reinforcing the rights and obligations of journalists to report on court proceedings, has been launched at today’s Society of Editors Future of News conference.
The Charter, published jointly by the SoE, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and the Media Lawyers Association, includes details on the rights of journalists to attend proceedings, take notes from court and use social media, access hearings remotely and the provision of information to reporters in relation to court lists and other documentation.
Launching the document, John Battle, Chair of the Media Lawyers Association and Head of Legal and Compliance at ITN said that the Charter was a “significant step” in reinforcing the rights of journalists to attend proceedings.
The Charter states: “Public confidence in the justice system and the rule of law relies on transparency and this is facilitated by journalists reporting court and tribunal proceedings widely and accurately.”
Its recommendations include:
- GovWifi should be available for the media to use in court and tribunal buildings.
- Courts and tribunals will normally provide designated seats in the courtroom for journalists.
- Mobile phones and laptops can be used by the media in the courtroom so long as they do not disturn other court users.
- Defendants should not normally be allowed to enter court buildings by side doors unless advised by the police on security grounds.
- Court lists should be available free of charge.
- Press rooms in court buildings should be provided where building space and capacity allows.
- Reporting restrictions should be set out in writing and placed on a notice board.
Said John: “The Charter is a significant step forward. It brings together in one document the basic rights reporters have when reporting the courts.
“The Charter will help court reporters to carry out their vital role Informing the public about the justice system. It is fundamental for justice, the rule of law and democracy that the courts are reported.”
Dawn Alford, Executive Director of the Society of Editors said: “The Society of Editors welcomes today’s launch of the Reporters’ Charter which will, no doubt, become an invaluable tool for journalists and court staff and ensure that the rights of reporters to attend court and receive documentation are better recognised and applied in practice.
“We congratulate the Media Lawyers Association on this achievement. The Society is delighted to endorse, promote and distribute the Charter and it will also be available to view on our website at www.societyofeditors.org.”
12.46. Su-Mei Thompson of the Media Trust warns against “ghettoising” certain stories. “You only see disabled people being interviewed if the story is about disability. Yet there are disabled politicians.”
Similarly Joseph Harker warns against editors only commissioning people of colour to write about race. “Blackness is part of my identity but don’t have me write only about race.”
12. 31. In the discussion on Changing Newsrooms, Joseph Harker, Senior Editor, Diversity & Development, Guardian News & Media, addressses what he called the “elephant in the room” – the Society of Editors itself and the episode in March 2021 when its then executive director, Ian Murray, was forced to resign after denying the existence of institutional racism in the British press. Joseph claimed it had taken six months for the SoE to retract Ian’s statement. “The SoE itself had resisted facing up to the basic truth that there are elements of racism in the British press,” he said. His remarks are applauded by the delegates and by panel moderator Alison Phillips.
12.25. Luke Jacobs, left, regional editor with Reach plc in the South East, is the first regional press speaker of the day as part of the panel on Changing Newsrooms.
11.57. Short coffee break. Coming next: Panel discussion on Changing Newsrooms. Questions to be debated include: Have positive initiatives to improve diversity and inclusion in the media had an impact and what does the industry still need to do? How can the news media learn from each other to ensure voices are heard and can further improvements result in more widespread trust in the media?
Moderator: Alison Phillips, Editor, Daily Mirror and Chair, Women in Journalism, panel includes: Joseph Harker, Senior Editor, Diversity & Development, Guardian News & Media, Shelley Bishton, Head of Creative Diversity, News UK, Luke Jacobs, Regional Editor, Reach plc, Su-Mei Thompson, CEO, Media Trust.
11.45. A number of questions from the floor on how to engage young people with news. Hilary Scott, journalism teacher at the University of Northampton and a mother of four, says that in her experience this is getting “harder and harder.” Says Kamal: “We try and talk a lot more about useful information rather than the news.”
11.31. Warren Nettleford of Need to Know poses the question whether social media platforms should be regulated in the same way the BBC is, for instance in providing a certain amount of educational content. “Facebook and TikTok now have a captive audience which used to belong to the broadcasters.”
Naja Nielsen says algorithms of social media platforms such as Facebook and TikTok don’t necessarily serve the BBC’s purposes. “Facebook algorithms will give people who are interested in news more news, and others less news. That doesn’t really work for us.”
11.21. Panel discussion on ‘Engaging with the Future’ moderated by Kamal Ahmed, Editor-in-Chief and co-founder, The News Movement. The panel includes: Warren Nettleford, Co-founder, Need to Know; Naja Nielsen, Digital Director, BBC News; Jasper Fulcher, Head of Daily Visual Production, Telegraph Media Group; and Nabihah Parkar, Video Producer, Vice World News.
Nabihah, a former local news journalist, says the success of video content on TikTok shows young audience do care about news. Jasper says simplicity is the key – “don’t overcomplicate things.” Naja says: “The future is 100pc digital – even something which feels like a linear experience like a television channel.”
11.00. The BBC’s Ros Atkins, discussing The Future of News, lists some things he thinks journalists can do to respond to peoples’ changing habits of news consumption, including, asking what added value are we bringing to a story, making sure our work has a digital and social dimension, and building product and story innovation into our processes.
On his role as the BBC’s ‘explainer-in-chief’ he said: “We could see there was a desire in the BBC to state what was true and what was not true. ”
10.46. Ros Atkins: “The moment we have reached is asking fundamental questions about the role of news in our world….we can’t assume the way we tell stories is the way people want to hear them. All around us we can see how radically peoples’ media consumption is changing.”
10.38. SoE executive director Dawn Alford is opening the conference, her first since taking over the role from Ian Murray in 2021. She introduces the first speaker Ros Atkins of the BBC – “the man who revived the explainer.”
Today we are in London covering the first in-person Society of Editors conference since the Covid-19 pandemic. Entitled ‘The Future of News,’ the conference will feature a range of panel discussions on issues including changing newsrooms, paywalls and media coverage of the war in Ukraine. Check back here for further updates. #SoEConf2022.
The full programme is as follows:
10 am Coffee and Registration
10.30 am Welcome from Dawn Alford, Executive Director, Society of Editors
10.40 am The Future of News by Ros Atkins, Presenter, BBC News
11.00 am Engaging with the future
Is TikTok really the only solution to attracting Gen Z and how is the traditional news media winning over young people? Plus, the strategies behind award-winning news platforms and the growing trend for solution-focused content.
Moderator: Kamal Ahmed, Editor-in-Chief and co-founder, The News Movement
Warren Nettleford, Co-founder, Need to Know
Naja Nielsen, Digital Director, BBC News
Jasper Fulcher, Head of Daily Visual Production, Telegraph Media Group
Nabihah Parkar, Video Producer, Vice World News
11.45am Coffee
12.15pm Changing Newsrooms
Have positive initiatives to improve diversity and inclusion in the media had an impact and what does the industry still need to do? How can the news media learn from each other to ensure voices are heard and can further improvements result in more widespread trust in the media?
Moderator: Alison Phillips, Editor, Daily Mirror and Chair, Women in Journalism
Joseph Harker, Senior Editor, Diversity & Development, Guardian News & Media
Shelley Bishton, Head of Creative Diversity, News UK
Luke Jacobs, Regional Editor, Reach plc
Su-Mei Thompson, CEO, Media Trust
1.00 pm Reporters’ Charter Launch
John Battle, Head of Legal and Compliance, ITN
1.30 pm Lunch
2.30 pm Pay-ups or paywalls? What is the future for making news pay?
News needs funding but what are the models for future success? Is there a perfect paywall or must tech giant platforms play more fairly? Plus, how commercial and editorial teams can work more closely together to create award-winning campaigns.
Moderated by: Ian MacGregor, Emeritus Editor, The Telegraph
Jessica Hayes, Deputy Director of Global Supporter Strategy, The Guardian
Becky Clay, Head of Invention, Reach plc
Louise Close, Head of Live, Evening Standard
Edward McCann, Deputy Publisher, Mediahuis Ireland
3.30 pm Coffee
4.00 pm Ukraine: How has war coverage changed?
What is it like to cover a war in 2022 and how difficult is it to report from the frontlines of the crisis? With British media outlets believed to have more than 50 journalists in Ukraine at any one time, how do editors keep their staff safe and battle against disinformation to ensure the truth is told.
Moderated by: Tessa Chapman, Chief Correspondent, 5 News
Marianna Spring, Specialist Disinformation and social media reporter, BBC
Nick Fagge, Senior Reporter, MailOnline’s Global team
Jonathan Levy, Director of News-gathering and Operations, Sky News
Simon Robinson, Reuters Global Managing Editor, Newsroom
*This panel will begin with a tribute to the journalists worldwide who have been killed in reporting on wars this year.
5.00 pm Keynote address from the Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP, President of COP26 and Minister of State at the Cabinet Office followed by an address by Martin Breen, President, Society of Editors and presentation of Outstanding Contribution to Journalism Award to Christina Lamb OBE.
Sign up for our free daily email bulletin
Follow HTFP on Twitter
Got a story? Email the Editor at