The Lecture
The Geddes Memorial Lecture is a chance for student journalists, supporters of the Geddes Trust and members of the wider Oxford University community to meet prominent figures in the media world, and to hear their views on the state of journalism today.
Previous speakers have included: political journalists such as Jeremy Paxman, Laura Kuenssberg and Anushka Asthana; Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow; BBC Radio 4 Today presenters Nick Robinson and Martha Kearney; war correspondents such as the BBC’s Lyse Doucet and Martin Bell; and current or former national newspaper editors Geordie Greig, Roger Alton, Sir Peter Stothard, Dominic Lawson and Matthew D’Ancona.
2023 Lecture
Dame Melanie Dawes
Chief Executive, Ofcom
Sky News’s Sophy Ridge – a former student of Teddy Hall – will interview the CEO of the Media Regulator Ofcom, Dame Melanie Dawes.
Topics will include the future UK regulatory framework; the role of Artificial Intelligence in digital transformation; the plurality of news services; the future of public service broadcasting; as well the advice and insights Dame Melanie, as a former Oxford undergraduate, would give to students considering careers in the public sector. The interview will be followed by questions from the audience.
2022 Lecture
Krishnan Guru-Murthy
Lead Present at Channel 4 News
The 2022 Geddes lecture was delivered by Krishnan Guru-Murthy on the topic of ‘In Whom do we trust? Presenting the Facts in an Age of Discrimination’.
2021 Lecture
Mark Thompson
Former director-general of the BBC and CEO of the New York Times
The 2021 Geddes lecture was delivered by Mark Thompson on the topic of ‘The Lie in the Machine: Truth, Big Tech and the Limits of Free Speech’.
2020 Lecture
Michael Crick
Broadcaster and author
The 2020 Philip Geddes Memorial Lecture was delivered by Michael Crick on Friday, March 6. He spoke on the topic of “Impartiality: the devil’s right of reply”.
2019 Lecture
David Aaronovitch
The Times
The 2019 Philip Geddes Memorial Lecture was delivered by David Aaronovitch on Friday, March 1. He spoke on the topic of “The culture wars – do liberals need to use the media tactics of their opponents to win?’
2018 Lecture
Laura Kuenssberg
BBC
The 2018 Philip Geddes Memorial Lecture was delivered by BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg.
2017 Lecture
Ian Hislop
Private Eye
In a change from the usual format, the 2017 Geddes Lecture featured Ian Hislop in conversation with Helen Lewis.
2016 Lecture
Anushka Asthana
The Guardian
The 2016 Philip Geddes Memorial Lecture was delivered by Anushka Asthana on Friday 4 March on the topic of Breaking into the boys’ club: Why British politics needs more women.