For the London Press Club’s monthly social evening, Index on Censorship has teamed up with the Frontline Club to present a discussion examining the changing role of the foreign correspondent within a rapidly evolving media landscape.

In the past twenty years budget cuts across the foreign news industry have seen the near-demise of Western foreign correspondents posted abroad. In their place, local-national stringers have become increasingly important providers of foreign news stories. While the nature of conflicts changes and reporting from high-risk zones becomes more dangerous, the traditional model of the foreign correspondent has shifted. The majority of foreign news is no longer gathered by traditional foreign correspondents posted abroad, but by local nationals who were born and raised in the country they report on.

Is the foreign correspondent an endangered species in the news industry? What new models of foreign reporting are emerging alongside new information-gathering technologies? We will be joined by an expert panel to discuss trends in the industry and the future role of the foreign correspondent.

Chair: Rachael Jolley, editor of Index on Censorship magazine.

Speakers:

Kim Sengupta
Defence correspondent at The Independent.

Dr Haider Al Safi
London-based Iraqi journalist and media consultant covering middle eastern politics.

Caroline Lees
Former news and foreign correspondent who has worked as South Asia correspondent for the Sunday Times.

Samira Shackle
London-based freelance journalist who has reported extensively on Pakistan over the last five years

When: 1 November 2016, 7pm

Where: The Frontline Club (map)

Tickets: This is a free ticketed event. Fully booked.