Full programme announced for Bristol, Britain and Beyond

By Epigram

Featuring leading figures from journalism, politics and more, the full programme for Epigram’s Bristol, Britain and Beyond festival is now available.

Running from 6-13 February, Bristol, Britain and Beyond will feature talks and discussions on issues including misinformation, British politics, English identity and more. Events will also see guests discussing how they got into the industry and giving advice to the audience.

Tickets can now be booked for the festival, costing £3 for students and £5 for members of the general public. One ticket will give access to all the events in the programme, making it great value for anybody looking to hear about the biggest issues we’re facing today from experts in the field.

The full programme is available below:

Saturday 6 February, 2:30PM - Writing for Sport with Alyson Rudd

Alyson Rudd is a sports writer for The Times. With a focus on football, Alyson has provided prodigious coverage of the beautiful game, making numerous radio and TV appearances in the process. In addition, she has reported on the Olympic games, Wimbledon and a host of other major sporting events. If that wasn’t enough, the qualified football coach and referee published her debut novel The First Time Lauren Pailing Died in 2019, with a second, Eleven Lines to Somewhereto be published next month, much to the delight of her fans.

In this opening talk of the festival, Alyson will broadly discuss her own entrance into the world of sports journalism; our hunger for sport throughout the pandemic, as well as the challenges it faces; and her leap into the world of writing a novel. Alyson will be speaking to Teddy Coward, Co-Editor-in-Chief, Epigram.

If you missed this event, you'll be able to watch a recording through the link you'll be sent with your ticket!

Monday 8 February, 6:00PM - Disinformation, Conspiracy Theories and the ‘Infodemic’ with Professor Stephan Lewandowsky

Professor Stephan Lewandowsky is a cognitive scientist at the University of Bristol. His research examines people’s memory, decision making, and knowledge structures, with a particular emphasis on how people update their memories if information they believe turn out to be false. This has led him to examine the persistence of misinformation and spread of “fake news” in society, including conspiracy theories. He is particularly interested in the variables that determine whether or not people accept scientific evidence, for example surrounding vaccinations or climate science.

He has published more than 220 scholarly articles, chapters, and books, including numerous papers on how people respond to corrections of misinformation and what variables determine people’s acceptance of scientific findings. Professor Lewandowsky also frequently appears in print and broadcast media and has contributed nearly 90 opinion pieces to the global media on issues related to his research.

Professor Lewandowsky will be speaking to Georgiana Scott, Deputy Editor, Epigram.

If you missed this event, you'll be able to watch a recording through the link you'll be sent with your ticket!

Tuesday 9 February, 6:00PM - Politics, Protests and a Pandemic: International Reporting in 2021 with Ido Vock

Ido is the New Statesman’s International Correspondent and has covered issues including the European Union, Russia and Syrian dissidents who are trying to bring the Assad regime to justice. He’ll be speaking about the state of the world and foreign affairs today covering, of course, the pandemic, democracy and humanitarian crises.

Covering what’s going on around the world is a daunting task at the best of times, but the pandemic has made travelling and being on the ground that much harder. Ido will be discussing what it has been like being an international journalist when everything has had to go remote and offering insights into how to work in international journalism at a time like this.

Ido will be in conversation with Siavash Minoukadeh, Deputy Digital Editor, Epigram.

POSTPONED: Wednesday 10 February, 5:00PM - Entering Journalism from Student Media and Covering Sensitive Topics with Hannah Price

Unfortunately Hannah is feeling ill at the moment and won't be able to join us on Wednesday. We're wishing her a speedy recovery and as soon as we can arrange a new date, we'll update this page. Your ticket will still be valid for the new event and it will also be recorded so you can watch the event even if you can't make the new date.

Hannah Price is no stranger to Epigram. The former Online Editor of your favourite student newspaper set the gold standard for digital content (trust us, we’ve been trying to live up to it ever since). Memorably, Hannah launched the #RevoltAgainstSexualAssault campaign during her time at Epigram, which use Snapchat filters to allow sexual assault victims to speak more freely and highlight an important and underreported issue on campus. Now at the BBC, Hannah’s investigations into the issues troubling students have not let up, with her documentary, The Student Mental Health Crisis, having been released late last year.

As someone who has both used student media to create an impact, and then taken the next step into professional journalism, Hannah will discuss making the leap between the two, as well as how to report with care on sensitive topics. In addition, she will discuss the issues she sees students are now facing, as she has observed through her reporting.

Hannah will be speaking to Teddy Coward, Co-Editor-in-Chief, Epigram.

Wednesday 10 February, 6:00PM - Journalism Career Guidance, organised by edu-venture

Epigram is very excited to announce this collaboration with Edu-Venture, who have organised this talk to give emerging journalists and editors the chance to hear from a panel of professionals about how they got into the industry and what advice they have to share. There will also be time for an audience Q & A so come prepared with your questions! If you've been inspired by Hannah Price's talk, this is the perfect follow-up!

On the panel will be Chanté Joseph, a Bristol grad who has gone on to write for Vogue UK, The Guardian, VICE and many other leading publications alongside hosting Channel 4's series How Not To Be Racist. Chanté will be joined by editors and writers from a range of publications and styles so there will be something for everyone.

Please note: This event is free but needs a separate sign up from the rest of the festival programme. To find out more and register your place, please visit edu-venture's website.

Thursday 11 February, 12:00PM - COVID and the Newsroom with Michael Jermey

Whether it's the grim ritual of tuning in for Downing Street's 5pm press conferences, Dominic Cummings' post-Barnard Castle appearance or the footage of the supporters of Donald Trump storming the Capitol, we've been relying on news coverage to inform us about what’s been happening in this ‘unprecedented’ year. But what’s it like on the other side, trying to cover all of these events and more as a TV Journalist?

Who better to discuss this than Michael Jermey, Director of News at ITV? Michael will be talking about what it’s like working in broadcast reporting, how he and his team have covered all the events of the last year and giving his advice for how to find a career in broadcast journalism. There will also be time for an audience Q & A so bring your questions for Michael!

Michael will be in conversation with Teddy Coward, Co-Editor-in-Chief, Epigram.

Thursday 11 February, 7:15PM - Being English, A Panel with Dr. Alex Niven, Professor Tariq Modood MBE and Professor John Denham

With the UK’s departure from the EU, and an increasing sense that Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are moving towards independence, understanding what it means to be English has become a much more urgent question.

However, ‘Englishness’, if such a term even really exists, isn’t easy to define. What’s the difference between Englishness and Britishness, is Englishness white and where do regional identities like being Northern or a Londoner fit into all of this?Discussing these questions will be a panel of leading figures on Englishness and national identity:

Dr Alex Niven is a Lecturer in English at the University of Newcastle, editor at Repeater Books and author of New Model Island: How to Build a Radical Culture Beyond the Idea of England (2019).

Professor Tariq Modood MBE is Professor of Sociology, Politics and Public Policy at the University of Bristol and the founding director of the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship. His work on ethnic minorities and identities in Britain have made him one of the leading thinkers on ethnicity and citizenship in the country.

Professor John Denham is a Professorial Fellow in the Centre for English Identity and Politics at the University of Southampton. Previously, he served as MP for Southampton Itchen from 1992-2015. Whilst in Parliament, John served as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills and he was also Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee.

The discussion will be chaired by Siavash Minoukadeh, Deputy Digital Editor.

Friday 12 February, 6:00PM - Bristol: The City Beyond the Student Bubble with Martin Booth

Martin Booth is one of the most knowledgeable authorities on Bristol and what is going on in the city. He is the editor of Bristol 24/7 and also wrote 111 Place in Bristol that You Shouldn’t Miss which was published last year. Martin will be discussing the things going on Bristol that we as students normally don’t engage with, from the city’s creative scene to the social inequality between areas of the city.

Martin will also be sharing his tips on getting into journalism and there will be time for the audience to ask him advice on what the industry is like so this event is not one to miss for any emerging writers.

Martin will be in conversation with Filiz Emily Gurer, News Editor, Epigram.

Friday 12 February, 7:00PM - Making Sense of Britain and its Politics with Hamish Birrell

Please note: This event has been resecheduled from 4pm to 7pm

Hamish Birrell is The Economist’s public policy correspondent, who mainly writes for the Britain section. Helping us dissect some of the difficulties the UK government have faced throughout the pandemic – including some of the ones they’ve brought on themselves – Hamish’s detailed understanding will no doubt cast a light on British politics over the last twelve months and more.

Beyond discussions of UK politics, we hope Hamish will be able to shed some light on one of the country’s most forensic, thought-provoking and global publications. (Without giving away any trade secrets that is).

Hamish will be speaking to Teddy Coward, Co-Editor-in-Chief, Epigram.

Featured image: Siavash Minoukadeh / Epigram

Which event are you most looking forward to?