The British Journalism Review is designed as a forum of analysis and debate, to monitor the media, submit the best as well as the worst to scrutiny, and to raise the level of the dialogue.

This website is designed to give you an idea of who we are and what we publish.

We hope it will appeal not only to journalists, whether in newspapers, radio and television, or online, but also to media academics and students, and to anyone who cares about communication.

Have a look round, and let us know what you think.

BJR 20th anniversary

British Journalism Review’s 20th anniversary celebrations began in May with a two-day conference on Journalism in Crisis that concluded with the inaugural Charles Wheeler lecture, delivered by BBC director-general Mark Thompson, and the launch of the Wheeler Award for outstanding contribution to broadcasting, presented this year to Jeremy Paxman.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson was among the packed audience to hear the director-general deliver a lecture in memory of the late Charles Wheeler – describing the veteran foreign correspondent as the “finest reporter the BBC ever had”. Charles Wheeler’s widow, Lady Dip Wheeler, had, earlier in the evening, presented the inaugural Charles Wheeler Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcast Journalism to BBC Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman.

Mark Thompson’s speech signalled the climax of a two-day conference at Westminster, organised jointly by the University and the British Journalism Review. As well as academic speakers, the event featured industry panellists including former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie and journalist and author of Flat Earth News Nick Davies.

In his speech, the director-general said he was delighted to be invited to deliver the first of what will be an annual lecture in memory of Charles Wheeler. He described the late correspondent’s work as being characterised “by an insatiable interest in people” and for seeking to tell the truth as he saw it. He said Charles Wheeler’s values remained relevant as a guide to the future development of BBC journalism and suggested that despite going through a period of change, the organisation retained the ability to put more resources into news gathering globally than any other news organisation.

Receiving his award, Jeremy Paxman said he had been lucky to count on Charles Wheeler as both friend and colleague, describing him as “probably the greatest reporter there has been on television”.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the following organisations:

BBC	ITV News
Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday	News International
The Daily Telegraph	Reader's Digest
The Economist	Trinity Mirror
The Guardian	Unite (T&G)

“People still know the difference between real news and bullshit. And they’re glad someone cares enough to get things on the record and print the truth.”
— Reporter Cal McCaffrey (Russell Crowe) in the film State of Play

“Goodbye, Kay. And do try and write a good book, instead of doing nothing but this useless journalism.”
— Madge Conway (Fenella Woolgar) to popular newspaper writer sister Kay (Hattie Morahan) in J B Priestley’s Time and the Conways, National Theatre, London

“Jade’s [Goody’s] death was tragic, no question there. But the coverage of her death, well that was hardly about Jade or death at all. Instead it was about the news media having a collective, self-perpetuating bunfight. Take the tabloid papers, which having hurled buckets of misogynistic abuse or eye-swivelling rage over Jade for years, suddenly had to perform a U-turn so huge it was visible from Space, and start gushing with tabloid-speak about inspiring bravery… The tabloids weren’t the only ones jammed full of Jade. The self-appointed quality press got in on the act, too. They ran plenty of chin-stroking whatdoes- it-all-mean? pieces on the cultural meaning of Jade’s suffering. There was a lot of old woe-betide-us intellectual masturbation that sometimes veered over into outright snobbery.”
— Charlie Brooker, Guardian columnist and British Press Awards Columnist of the Year, Newswipe, BBC4, April 1

“I realise that the journalist’s attitude to expenses has always been known for its monastic self-restraint.”
— Vince Cable, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman and deputy leader, commenting on MPs’ expenses stories, British Press Awards, Grosvenor House, London, March 31

“Ten years ago there were 10 newspaper rounds in this area. Today there are just five. Less and less [sic] people, it seems, share my love of newsprint.”
— Writer and former editor Janet Street-Porter, reporting on The Media Revolution for BBC2’s The Money Programme, March 9