If you’re passionate about social justice, you won’t want to miss this fascinating masterclass at Guardian HQ. Join us for a unique day of talks with some of the world’s most committed investigative journalists and campaigners. Between them, our speakers have uncovered stories including the WikiLeaks revelations, Prince Charles’ controversial “black spider” memos, and the horsemeat scandal, which exposed complex problems with the UK food supply chain.
During the course, you’ll learn everything from how to plan your reporting, to how to cultivate sources and work with whistleblowers to hold the powerful to account. Speakers include Guardian investigations editor David Leigh, senior Guardian reporter Robert Booth, specialist correspondent Felicity Lawrence, and Helen Darbishire, founder of the Madrid-based NGO Access Info.
Course content
- Senior Guardian reporter Rob Booth shares his advice on how to choose your target topic, plan your reporting and start writing
- Former Guardian investigations editor David Leigh discusses what makes a successful investigative journalist, and gives advice on how to hold the powerful to account
- Bestselling author and Guardian special correspondent Felicity Lawrence offers a practical guide to cultivating sources and working with whistleblowers
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Helen Darbishire, founder of the Madrid-based NGO Access Info, on unlocking freedom of information laws in Britain and abroad
This course is for you if…
- You’re a journalist of any level looking to upgrade your existing skills, or move into investigative reporting
- You’re a blogger or activist who wants to improve the quality of your written content, or break into mainstream journalism
- You work for a charity or NGO and want to learn how top investigative journalists work
- You’re a student or researcher who wants to improve your research skills
Tutor profiles
David Leigh is the former investigations editor of the Guardian, where he most recently handled the exposure of worldwide tax evasion at HSBC bank. He has won seven press awards, including Granada’s Investigative Journalist of the Year, the British Press Awards Campaigning Journalist of the Year, and the 2007 Paul Foot Award for investigative journalism. In 2006, David was highly commended for investigations into alleged corruption at BAE Systems. His books include The Liar (an account of the Jonathan Aitken affair), Sleaze (the story of the Neil Hamilton case) and Wikileaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War on Secrecy.
Robert Booth is a senior reporter at the Guardian where he has worked on major international investigations including the paper’s award-winning WikiLeaks coverage and the Assad emails, which was shortlisted for scoop of the year at the British Journalism Awards in 2012. He has broken a string of stories using freedom of information laws about lobbying and campaigning by Prince Charles and his charities. Prior to the Guardian Robert worked at The Sunday Times and edited Building Design, a weekly newspaper for architects.
Felicity Lawrence is a special correspondent for the Guardian, where she has been an editor and writer for over 19 years, and an investigative reporter for over a decade. She was formerly editor of the Sunday Telegraph Magazine, where she was named colour supplement editor of the year in the PPA awards. Felicity has twice won the Derek Cooper Investigative Food Reporter of the Year award, and has been commended in the British Press Awards, the Paul Foot Award and the Martha Gelhorn Prize. She is the author of the bestselling exposés on the food business, Not on the Label and Eat Your Heart Out.
Helen Darbishire is founder and executive director of the Madrid-based NGO Access Info, which campaigns for government transparency across Europe. She has over 20 years’ experience working on freedom of expression, and information and media freedom. Over the course of her career, Helen has worked with a wide range of non-governmental and inter-governmental organisations, including UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the World Bank. She is the founder and former chair of the global Freedom of Information Advocates Network, and serves on the boards of various CSOs, including Fundación Civio, DATA, Diritto di Sapere and the Request Initiative.
Details
This course has now passed – but we update our programme all the time. For information on our full range of masterclasses, sign up to our newsletter, follow us on Twitter, or keep an eye on our calendar.
To contact us, click here. Terms and conditions can be found here.
Returns policy
Tickets may be refunded if you contact us at least 14 days before the course start date. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.
