A couple of diary dates for readers in London:
On 5 April there's the Polis Journalism conference, which looks at trust in the media. The first session in particular looks to be of interest:
0915 Trust and the BBC
Chair: Steve Hewlett
Speaker TBC
Details here.
Meanwhile, on 9 April there's a debate on fracking.
In December 2012 the UK government gave the green light to start exploratory hydraulic fracturing for shale gas in the UK. Politically at least, it looks like we have moved beyond the “do we / don’t we” stage of the debate.
Fracking has become an emotive issue in the UK. Public concern about hydraulic fracturing and its effect on our energy, environment and geological processes often plays out in a highly contentious way. How much impact does the science behind the process of shale gas extraction have on the public and media debates? How much of what has been reported in the media follows experiences from the United States?
To explore the issues we are delighted to welcome from the US, leading expert and author of the first peer reviewed study into the impacts, Professor Robert B. Jackson – Nicholas Chair of Global Environmental Change, Duke University.
Attracting an audience from across the scientific, geological, energy and media communities, Prospect will seek to contribute to improving the quality of the debate about this topic in the UK.
Details here.