JONATHON Porritt, one of the best-known environmentalists in the UK, is to give Bristol NUJ’s Benn Lecture 2015.
Appropriately in Bristol’s year as European Green Capital he has taken the theme: “Climate Confusion: Let’s Blame the Media!”.
Jonathon Porritt believes this vital issue has never been high enough on the national agenda – with the media at least partly to blame.
Looking back over the last decade, he argues, there are many reasons why it has proved so difficult to address the challenges of accelerating climate change with proportionate economic and political urgency here in the UK. For Porritt, the media has played its part in that sad and sorry story, through a combination of ignorance, indifference, a lack of creativity and wholly inappropriate notions of ‘balance’ in reporting. There have, of course, been many significant exceptions to that ‘rule’, he argues, but questions whether it’s going to be any better over the next decade.
The talk will be at 6.30pm on Thursday October 29 at the University of Bristol. Follow the link below for booking details and the exact location.
There will be a Q&A afterwards, and Bristol NUJ has invited some prominent figures from South West politics and the environmental field to ask questions.
Tickets are free but must be reserved by following the booking link.
http://www.ideasfestival.co.uk/events/jonathon-porritt/
The event is presented by Bristol Festival of Ideas, and the Cabot Institute as well as Bristol National Union of Journalists. Bristol NUJ has held a Benn Lecture in honour of the late cabinet minister and Bristol MP Tony Ben since 2006. Speakers have included Mr Benn himself, anti-phone hacking Guardian journalist Nick Davies, and a panel discussing the Leveson report which included tabloid victim Christopher Jefferies.
