High Profile Speakers Announced for 25th Anniversary Conference

Society of Editors announces high profile speakers for its 25th anniversary conference

The Director of Journalism for the BBC, award-winning foreign correspondents and the Editor-in-Chief of Reuters are just some of the speakers that will address the Society of Editors upcoming 25^th anniversary conference.

Taking place in London on 30 April 2024, the high-profile event will see more than 200 leading editors and news executives come together to celebrate the Society’s key milestone and debate the key opportunities and challenges facing the industry.

High profile speakers for the conference will include Jonathan Munro, Deputy CEO of BBC News and Director of Journalism for the Corporation; Alessandra Galloni, Editor-in-Chief of Reuters; Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent for Sky News, Christina Lamb, Chief Foreign Correspondent for The Sunday Times; Pippa Crerar, Political Editor at The Guardian; Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Channel 4 News presenter, BBC Analysis Editor Ros Atkins, Maria Breslin, Editor of the Liverpool Echo and Dylan Jones, Editor of the Evening Standard.

Announcing the speakers, Dawn Alford, Executive Director of the Society of Editors said: “This year the Society will celebrate 25 years of advocating on behalf of press freedom both at home and abroad and we are delighted to bring together some of the biggest names in journalism to discuss some of the most pressing topics.

“From the opportunities and threats posed by AI to how to engage audiences in a year of global elections and the reality and responsibilities of reporting from the front line, we have no doubt that the event will provide attendees with thought-provoking and practical solutions to take back to their newsrooms.”

Panel themes for the conference include the challenges and responsibilities of reporting from the front line which will be moderated by award-winning Sky News foreign correspondent Alex Crawford while the future of Journalism and AI will also hear from Newsquest’s Head of Editorial AI Jody Doherty-Cove and Blathnaid Healy, the Executive Editor looking after AI development at BBC News.

A panel focused on the future of police and media relations will also hear from the College of Policing’s Chief Executive Andy Marsh as well as Rebecca Camber, Chair of the Crime Reporters Association and Pia Sarma, Editorial Legal Director at Times Newspapers.

The conference will end with insights from a high-profile editors-only panel including the BBC’s Director of Journalism Jonathan Munro, Evening Standard Editor Dylan Jones and Liverpool Echo Editor Maria Breslin discussing topics ranging from diversity in newsrooms to SLAPPs, tackling disinformation, preserving trust and engaging new audiences through different formats.

The anniversary conference will also see the Lady Chief Justice, the Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, deliver a keynote address on how the industry can work with the judiciary to increase coverage of courts both at a local and national level.

Additional speakers and the final keynote speaker will be announced next week.

A limited number of places remain and those wishing to book or enquire about sponsorship opportunities should email office@societyofeditors.org.