The Polis is in the organisation of the people as it arises out of their acting and speaking together, no matter where they happen to be.
Hannah Arendt

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Upcoming events

Meyer

'So Then Its Farewell': Sir Christopher Meyer in Conversation with Raymond Snoddy
6.30 - 8 London College of Communications, Elephant and Castle 12 Jan, 2009
POLIS, in parternship with The Media Society a... read more

Dr Damian Tambini

Financial Journalism and the Economic Crisis
2 - 4 pm E 171, First Floor, East Building 20 Jan, 2009
On Monday 20th of January from 2 - 4 , Dr Damia... read more

Robin Mansell

The Internet and Its Myriad Ways: An Asian Perspective
6.30 - 8 Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House 10 Feb, 2009
Chaired by Professor Robin Mansell , POLIS Adv... read more

HD

Why did nobody tell us? Reporting the Global Crash of ‘08
6.30 - 8 Old Theatre, Old Building, London School of Economics 23 Feb, 2009
On Monday 23rd February from 6.30 - 8 , POL... read more


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Today's Story

Davies

Why did nobody tell us? Reporting the Global Crash of ‘08

On Monday 23rd February, POLIS will hold an event with Howard Davies and Evan Davis to discuss the reporting leading up to the global credit crash of 2008.
read more

Latest news

Media Training in Hebron

The Mediatisation of Humanitarian Crises, Thursday November 13th, 6.30-8, G108, Kingsway

POLIS is embarking on a programme of research and debate around Humanitarian Communication for the 2008-09 academic year. Our ambition is to help shape a new agenda for understanding how we mediate issues of suffering and aid read more

Broadsheet versus Broadband: Is digital journalism the new black (and white)?

As newspapers and other media head for cyberspace, we gaze into the future… read more

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POLIS Report: Reporting Suicide in the Media

The past year has seen considerable debate about the media’s reporting of suicide. read more

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The New Photojournalism and Revolution: Susan Meiselas in Nicaragua and Gilles Peress in Iran

On Thursday 4th December, Paul Lowe, a senior lecturer in photography at the University of Arts, will give a talk at the LSE to discuss the social and political impacts of photo journalism in Iran and Nicaragua. read more

Picture 019

Reporting Suicide in the Media

The past year has seen considerable debate about the media’s reporting of suicide. On Monday 1st December, POLIS, in partnership with the Press Complaints Commission will hold an event to discuss this controversial issue. read more

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Humanitarian Communication in a Global Media Age

Dr. Panagiota Alevizou reviews the POLIS one day symposium held last month on 'Humanitarian Communications in a Global Media Age'. read more

POLIS on Facebook!

Polis is now listed as a group on Facebook! read more

Tom Loosemore

Polis Media Leadership Dialogues: Tom Loosemore, “4iP: Reinventing Public Service Media for a Digital Age", TONIGHT

The Polis Media Leadership dialogues are a series of guest appearances from influential media figures in London and beyond. Each week we host a different talk from a media leader followed by an expert response.

read more

obama

Reporting the US Elections

Three international journalists discuss media coverage of US08 in a seminar on Obama's recent political campaign, with speakers Claire Bolderson, Marco Colombo and Ivan Scalfarotto. read more

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Humanitarian Communications in a Global Media Age

On Friday 21st November POLIS, in partnership with the Copenhagen Business School will hold a one day symposium on humanitarian communications in a global media age. read more

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Whistleblowers and Mischief-Makers: The Ethics of Scandal

Annual Conference of the Institute of Communication Ethics
21 November 2008, 10 am – 4 pm

London College of Communication: Boardroom
Elephant & Castle
London, SE1 6SB
020 75146569
read more

Peston two

"Who runs Britain?" Robert Peston

To launch the paperback of Who Runs Britain? Robert Peston, the BBC's award-winning Business Editor, will give a public lecture at LSE explaining how the origins of the present financial crisis lie with the recklessness and greed of a generation of bankers and financial whizz-kids, and the jaw-dropping naivety of ministers and officials. read more

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What is Financial Journalism for? Ethics and Responsibility in a time of Crisis and Change: A Polis Report

POLIS has launched a ground-breaking, two year research report on the ethics and social responsibility financial journalism in light of the global economic crisis. read more

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Ed Richards: the Future of Public Broadcasting

This POLIS event will discuss the future of public service broadcasting and telecommunications in the UK read more

Ed Richards

'The Future of Public Broadcasting and Telecommunications': Richards sets out PSB agenda

Ed Richards, Chief Executive of Ofcom, has asserted that support for PSB remains as strong as ever among British audiences, despite opinions that the system has lost most of its relevance in the transition from the analogue past to the digital future. read more

Ed Richards

'The Future of Public Broadcasting and Telecommunications',Q & A with Ed Richards

In light of the Ofcom's review of Public Service Broadcasting in June, Ed Richards, Chief Executive of Ofcom, will join us to discuss the future of public service broadcasting and telecommunications in the UK. A reception will follow the event. For more information please email us at . read more

07

“Humanitarian Campaigning and the Cosmopolitan Imagination”, TONIGHT!

The second panel of the Humanitarian and Development Communications project will take place this Thursday, 6th Nov. from 6.30 -8pm in G108, Kingsway, LSE. The panel will discuss the increasing commercialisation in the communication practices of NGOs and reflect on the tensions that this trend brings about. These are old tensions between fund- and awareness-raising, which are now reformulated as tensions between profit and justice; consumption and solidarity; entertainment and social change. read more

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BBC Brand Scandal: the full story

The BBC's second most senior manager, Caroline Thompson gave the full story of the Russell Brand/Jonathan Ross scandal at Polis read more

Contempt of Court: a Polis Report

Does the contempt law need reform? A new Polis Paper reports on a Chatham House rules seminar with top judges, lawyers, editors and academics. read more

07

Morality in Humanitarian Communications on a Slippery Slope

There was a strong sense that ‘humanitarian communications’ is headed down an ethical slippery slope according to a panel of sociologists and media ethicists at POLIS’s first panel for the Humanitarian and Development Communications project seminars.

Prof. Emeritus Stan Cohen, LSE, Prof. Paul Gilroy, LSE and Prof. Jean Seaton, University of Westminster spoke on the topic of 'Humanitarian Communications in the Global Media Age', chaired by Professor Lilie Chouliaraki on October 30th at the LSE.
read more

Jeremy Hunt MP

'Governments should not in any way direct the media'

Jeremy Hunt MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, has given a keynote policy speech on the subject of public service broadcasting. The speech was hosted by the LSE media think-tank Polis with the support of Hanover Communications. read more

Nick Davies

'A free press or a fair trial?'

Which is more important – freedom of the press or the right to a fair trial?

This was the question posed by BBC newsreader Maxine Mawhinney who chaired a public forum hosted by POLIS, the LSE Law Department and the BBC College of Journalism, held on Thursday 23rd Oct.
read more

Peter Bazalgette

"Bazalgette Calls for Privacy Law Changes"

On Tuesday 21st October Peter Bazalgette delivered a lecture 'Content For Free' as part of the Polis Media Leadership Dialogues, with an expert response from Gus Hosein, Visiting Fellow at the LSE. read more

CommGap report

Whatever You Do, Don’t Break Your Public Sphere!

On October 8th, Polis hosted two consultants from the World Bank who presented their research on the role of media and communications in re-establishing political order and stability in post-conflict states and fragile environments. Their solution? Public Sphere your way back into civil society’s good graces! But like everything about World Bank, the surrounding issues are fraught with peril. Read a summary of two researchers, one abstract model and their report illuminating the complex role of media and communications in state building. read more

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Media, Communications and Humanity: 5th Anniversary Conference Report

From the 21st to the 23rd September, the Department of Media Communications at the London School of Economics celebrated its fifth year by holding a conference, 'Media, Communication's and Humanity'. read more

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Huffington Post takes on Polis

To read about Eric Kuhn's interview with Charlie Beckett about 'Networked Journalism' in his new book SuperMedia please go to www.huffingtonpost.com
read more

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PSB: Ofcom Option Debate Wednesday September 10th 2008

Three leading experts including Mike Philips from Ofcom will argue for and against their Public Service Broadcasting Review options at the London School of Economics. read more

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Summer School Starts

The Polis Summer School has started with a group of about 30 students from around the world. They will be studying the global news media for the next three weeks and will be posting their views on the Polis Director's blogs. read more

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2gether08

Polis director Charlie Beckett speaks at 2gether08, a festival of digital creativity sponsored by Channel 4. The idea is that it will generate ideas and clients for the new 4IP digital production fund created by Channel 4 to boost its public service role. read more

Barack Obama approves new media

Democracy and new media

Read about how networked journalism can transform international politics from Africa to America. Polis Director Charlie Beckett has written a special article for Opendemocracy.net. read more

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Ofcom: the last PSB debate?

You have until June 19th to give your opinion about the future of the UK's public service broadcasting system. The Polis debate on Tuesday could be your last chance to put your questions and views to Ofcom's top executives. Get in touch at to reserve a space at what will be a very popular and important event. read more

brazil

Join us to talk about Media for Development

In an era of increasing commercialization of the media worldwide and rise of cynicism in politics, can the press still have a role in strengthening democracy and can it contribute to wider political change? The seminar on June 26, 2008 held at The Embassy of Brazil will compare media systems from different countries and the impact on the democratic process. read more

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LSE Summer School

POLIS will once again be participating in the LSE's forthcoming Summer School in July. To find out more about the Summer programme and International Journalism and Society – The Role of the Media in the Modern World taught by POLIS Director Charlie Beckett in partnership with Media and Communications staff. read more

Charlie Beckett, Innovation Forum, BOX, LSE

The New New Journalism discussed at Innovation Forum last week

On Thursday 22 May 2008, Charlie Beckett adressed the changing position of journalism in society and the new possibilities presented by technology and design at an POLIS event produced in collaboration with the LSE Media Group and Innovation Forum Future Media series. read more

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McMafia: Crime Without Frontiers

Chaired by LSE Professor. Mary Kaldor. Award–winning international journalist Misha Glenny will talk about his intrepid investigations into the world of transnational organised crime in his new book, McMafia: Crime without frontiers. It reveals how conventional policing cannot cope with globalised crime corrupting governments and how it is fuelling human rights abuses. Glenny offers an insight into the pitfalls of a globalisation where the rules dividing the legal from the illegal are often far from clear.

To reserve a seat, please email
read more

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Fifth Anniversary Conference: Media Communication & Humanity

POLIS is a partner with the LSE Department of Media and Communication’s who are celebrating their 5th year with a special conference. They are inviting critical thinking about how the media and communications environment is implicated in shaping our perceptions of the human condition. How is it mediating human values, actions and social relations? They welcome proposals for papers and panels offering theoretical insight and/or empirical work on this theme. read more

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Women and the Media

POLIS, in partnership with the LSE Gender Institute, recently held a debate Chaired by Samira Ahmed of Channel Four News looking into why, despite the increased number of women in the profession, many still accuse the media of not getting the gender balance right. read more

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Prelude to a Theory of Obscenity, Prof. John Durham Peters

In the light of the recent revival of the cartoons controversy in Denmark and Western Europe, this talk will be addressing issues of free speech and the public-private divide through the question of images. The aim is to philosophize the twin and perhaps irreconcilable problems of free expression and moral degradation. read more

Sir Christopher Meyer

'So Then Its Farewell': Sir Christopher Meyer in Conversation with Ray Snoddy

The Media Society, The Society of Editors and POLIS present Sir Christopher Meyer,
Retiring chair of The Press
Complaints Commission, in conversation
with
Raymond Snoddy,
Journalist and
Broadcaster. read more

mail

TODAY: POLIS Media Leadership Dialogues - Benedict Brogan, Political Editor, Daily Mail

On Tuesday 18th Benedict Brogan, a career political journalist, and current Political Editor at arguably the UK’s most influential newspaper, will join us tommorow as part of POLIS Media Leadership Dialogues.

read more

POLIS @ The Party Conferences

This year, in partnership with YouGovStone, POLIS willl for the fist time hold two fringe debate at the Labour and Conservative Party Conferences.

read more


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