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.
2026 Lecture
Stephen Bush
Associate Editor and Columnist, Financial Times
Stephen Bush is Associate Editor and columnist at the Financial Times and will deliver the 2026 Geddes Lectures. Stephen will discuss “What do journalists owe the open society?”
In a time of geopolitical uncertainty, demographic pressures, and in which the open society – which while journalism can exist without, it makes our jobs significantly easier – we talk a lot about what is driving these crises, what politicians should do, what businesses should do, what activists, universities or citizens should do. But what are our obligations as journalists to the open society – and are we meeting them?
Location: Examination School, Oxford
This is a free public lecture. All are welcome to attend.
2025 Lecture
Gabriel Gatehouse
Award-winning journalist and podcaster
Gabriel Gatehouse has reported from almost every recent conflict around the world, winning numerous awards for his journalism, including the 2023 Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Podcast (The Coming Storm) and a 2020 Foreign Press Association award for his coverage of the Hong Kong protests. He has also reported extensively from the USA on Donald Trump’s presidency.
The thought-provoking lecture entitled “Trump 2.0. What America’s rabbit holes tell us about the future” examined how cultural, societal and political changes in America over the past four years will shape the future. Gabriel asked what constitutes “a fact” and examined the role “alternative facts” have in news coverage and politics. Journalists should not, he warned, “ignore the weird guy” – they will have stories to tell that are “pearls of truth”. Chris Wilson, the founder of the Geddes Trust and a colleague of Philip Geddes (1977, English Language & Literature) who was killed by an IRA bomb in 1983, described the evening as “spectacularly successful, brilliant, heartwarming”.
2024 Lecture
Dame Melanie Dawes
Chief Executive, Ofcom
Sky News’ Sophy Ridge – a former student of Teddy Hall – interviewed the CEO of the Media Regulator Ofcom, Dame Melanie Dawes, also a former Oxford undergraduate.
Dame Melanie spoke on her career background in the Civil Service, regulating Royal Mail, the polarisation of politics and how that plays out in television (TV) as well as impartiality in TV broadcasting and the Online Safety Act 2023. Dame Melanie took questions from our in-person audience, totalling around 150 attendees.
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.