Ayesha Hazarika, Baroness Hazarika MBE, urged for investment into “proper journalism” at the 2025 annual Hugh Cudlipp Lecture.
Hosted by the London Press Club, the former Standard journalist spoke about the necessity of investing in journalism, her time as a journalist in both print and on air, and her transition from politics to papers to peerages.
The annual lecture is named in memory of the late Lord Hugh Cudlipp, a past president of the London Press Club and former editor and editorial director of the Mirror Group.
Now a presenter on Times Radio, a Labour supporter, and a life peer, Baroness Hazarika said she hopes “we don’t look back on this time and regret how we didn’t invest in the things that are going to sustain our important news organisations.”
Echoing the speech of London Press Club Chairman Doug Wills, she said AI cannot do the things that journalists can.
“AI is no substitution for the graft we have seen today from young people,” she said, pointing to the 2025 winner of the Hugh Cudlipp Student Journalism Award, awarded the same evening.
“AI is no replacement for shoe leather and getting out there and getting to your community”
Like how vinyl came back in fashion, Baroness Hazarika hopes that physical newspapers will be next in vogue, adding there is something “so comforting about a physical paper.”
Baroness Hazarika spoke fondly about her time at the Evening Standard, including her stint as a columnist and editor of the Londoners Diary.
She said the daily print edition of the Standard was “a part of the fabric of the city and was more than just a newspaper, but part of everybody’s life.”
“It was your companion for the bus or train journey home,” she added.
Sandwiched between her hopes for young journalists, Hazarika told humorous anecdotes about her Indian parents, who immigrated from Assam in the 1960s, her time as a comedian, and her adventures in the House of Lords.
She also touched on issues including diversity in the newsroom and the reporting of situations like that in Gaza.
Hazarika joins the likes of George Osborne, Piers Morgan, Paul Dacre, Felicity Green, Jon Snow, and Emily Bell, who have all spoken at the annual Cudlipp Lecture in previous years.
At the event, young student journalists were recognised for their published pieces discussing sickle cell disease, job seeking with a disability, immigration, and Billingsgate Market.
Winner of the Hugh Cudlipp Award, Sharon Browne-Peter was awarded £1,000 for her piece on sickle cell disease, which combined personal experience, testimonials, independent research, and creative storytelling to create a compelling documentary alongside three published articles.
Other commended journalists included Sophie O’Sullivan, Sapphire Hope, Paul Wilkinson, and Fabienne Dias.
