The BBC World Service Presents will showcase the journalistic excellence and global storytelling across three days of events with top presenting talent from Monday 29 April.
Taking place in the BBC’s iconic Radio Theatre, World Service Presents will feature documentary premieres, live programme recordings, panel discussions on the major issues facing journalism globally, and interviews with the some of the world’s most influential voices on media.
Events across the three days will be moderated by the BBC’s top international presenting talent including; Lyse Doucet, Mishal Husain, Ros Atkins, Katie Razzall, Waihiga Mwaura, Nawal Al-Maghafi, Joe Tidy and Geeta Guru-Murthy.
The World Service Presents… will feature three themes across the three days –
- A Global Public Service (Monday 29 April)
- Forensics and Investigative Journalism (Tuesday 30 April)
- Censorship and Freedom (Wednesday 1 May)
Tim Davie, BBC Director-General, will officially open BBC World Service Presents ahead of the first session on 29 April.
Liliane Landor, Director, BBC World Service, says: “The line-up for the World Service Presents exemplifies the excellence of journalism on offer from the BBC World Service, the diversity and depth of the programming, and the vital need for the provision of independent and impartial news around the world. It also serves to illuminate why the BBC is the world’s most trusted international news broadcaster.”
Fiona Crack, Co-Controller, Languages, says: “Across the World Service Presents, we’re exploring the biggest issues facing journalists around the world today. At this critical time for journalists, when their roles are increasingly under threat or they are working in exile, when access is not granted or is restricted, but when their journalism is needed more than ever, our line-up of engaging and invigorating sessions will expose the shadows and the light of the profession at a crucial time for reporters and audiences alike.”
Further details on the sessions taking place –
A Global Public Service – Monday 29 April
From courageous frontline reporting to launching lifeline services, the BBC World Service serves some of the hardest audiences to reach, at a time that they most need trusted impartial news.
Demonstrating the BBC’s courageous reporting, we will premiere BBC News Arabic correspondent Adnan El-Bursh’s Gaza Diaries documentary. A panel of experts will then assess the courage needed to provide news for audiences living through conflict – from Afghanistan to Ukraine, Sudan and beyond. We will also explore the making of Dars, an educational programme launched to teach girls in Afghanistan, denied access to schooling after the Taliban took over in 2021.
Three decades on from the end of apartheid, we will premiere a documentary looking at the last thirty years of democracy in Africa, and that evening will see an exclusive live recording of the World Service English hit podcast World of Secrets: Disciples, which exposed exploitation and abuse by the evangelist T.B. Joshua, as we hear an update from whistleblowers and producers.
Forensic and Investigative Journalism – Tuesday 30 April
Delving into the disrupting force of open source and forensics in journalism over the last decade, multiple presenters will collaborate for the Anatomy of Forensic Journalism show-and-tell session. We will also launch the BBC’s Global China Unit and reveal their first piece of analytical research.
We will also scrutinise the Future of Forensic Journalism and open-source intelligence with industry leaders as the impact of AI and disinformation grows and questions are raised over transparency, trust and access. We premiere the latest BBC Eye investigation from the BBC World Service’s multi-award winning flagship investigative series with further details unveiled closer to the event.
Censorship and Freedom – Wednesday 1 May
Examining the importance of providing independent news through circumvention and battling censorship, to mark the week of World Press Freedom Day, we hear from a special panel of journalists from across the world who have endured heavy censorship, exile, and extreme threats to their personal safety, as a result of the stories they have fought to share. We’ll also take a look behind the ‘information iron curtain’ at the impact of censorship and media control on news reporting in Russia.
For the World Service English, BBC Radio 4 and the BBC News channel, Ros Atkins and Katie Razzall present The Media Show live with a special edition looking at news censorship around the world. After, we’ll hear from the World Service Editors – from Russian, Korean, Persian and Ethiopian services – where multiple pressures including state interference, harassment, sanctions and charges consistently attempt to undermine their work.
For media accreditation for World Service Presents or if you are a journalist looking for more details on the sessions taking place, please contact Robin Miller (robin.miller@bbc.co.uk)
World Service Presents showcases the range and depth of journalistic excellence provided by the BBC World Service to over 310m people weekly around the globe across 42 language services including in English. For three days from Monday 29 April, screenings, live programme recordings, speeches and panel discussions will highlight the BBC’s unique global position as the world’s most trusted international news broadcaster.
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