The Frontline Club

ang Jin-sung, a poet laureate for North Korea, led a privileged life unaware of the suffering of his fellow countrymen. He was a cadre in Section 5 (Literature), Division 19 (Poetry) of Office 101 and was personally endorsed by Kim Jong-il for a triumphalist poem he’d penned glorifying the Kim dynasty and the state.It was only following a visit to his home town, where he witnessed suffering, starvation and unimaginable poverty, that he began to question the system in which he lived. What followed is an extraordinary story of awakening, terror and escape.Jang Jin-sung will be joining us to share his story and give us an insight in to the circles of power and privilege in North Korea. We will also be joined by experts to reflect on Jang Jin-sung’s story and explore what it reveals about the inner workings of North Korea’s elite.Chaired by John Everard, a retired British diplomat who served as British Ambassador to North Korea. He is author of Only Beautiful, Please: A British Diplomat in North Korea.The panel:Jang Jin-sung is a former court poet for North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il. Since leaving the country he has become a bestselling author and poet. He has been awarded the Rex Warner Literary Prize and read his poetry at London’s Cultural Olympiad in 2012. He now lives in South Korea and is editor-in-chief of New Focus International. He is author of Dear Leader.Paul French is an author and a widely published analyst and commentator on Asia, Asian politics and current affairs. He is author of North Korea: State of Paranoia and the international bestseller Midnight in Peking. He has lived and worked in Shanghai for many years and has visited North Korea on a number of occasions.

ang Jin-sung, a poet laureate for North Korea, led a privileged life unaware of the suffering of his fellow countrymen. He was a cadre in Section 5 (Literature), Division 19 (Poetry) of Office 101 and was personally endorsed by Kim Jong-il for a triumphalist poem he’d penned glorifying the Kim dynasty and the state.It was only following a visit to his home town, where he witnessed suffering, starvation and unimaginable poverty, that he began to question the system in which he lived. What followed is an extraordinary story of awakening, terror and escape.Jang Jin-sung will be joining us to share his story and give us an insight in to the circles of power and privilege in North Korea. We will also be joined by experts to reflect on Jang Jin-sung’s story and explore what it reveals about the inner workings of North Korea’s elite.Chaired by John Everard, a retired British diplomat who served as British Ambassador to North Korea. He is author of Only Beautiful, Please: A British Diplomat in North Korea.The panel:Jang Jin-sung is a former court poet for North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il. Since leaving the country he has become a bestselling author and poet. He has been awarded the Rex Warner Literary Prize and read his poetry at London’s Cultural Olympiad in 2012. He now lives in South Korea and is editor-in-chief of New Focus International. He is author of Dear Leader.Paul French is an author and a widely published analyst and commentator on Asia, Asian politics and current affairs. He is author of North Korea: State of Paranoia and the international bestseller Midnight in Peking. He has lived and worked in Shanghai for many years and has visited North Korea on a number of occasions.

Showcase is a new event that incorporates the best of Frontline: compelling debate, inquisitive film, insightful discussion, thought-provoking surroundings, stimulating company and refreshing beverages. The evenings will feature two sessions of film or discussion with a break between when you will be welcomed into the members’ clubroom. Here you can meet your fellow audience members and enjoy a drink courtesy of Chivas Regal.For the first in the series we will be exploring the newly launched VICE News. The evening will begin by looking at the content they are producing. A panel of VICE News journalists will present and discuss their work.Following the break we will be bringing together journalists and editors from VICE News and other more established news outlets to discuss the changing news landscape and the place for new platforms and styles of reporting.Both sessions will be chaired by Richard Gizbert, presenter of The Listening Post on Al Jazeera English.An Introduction to VICE News with:Aris Roussinos, producer and host at VICE News. He was awarded the Rory Peck Award for News in November 2013 for his VICE film Ground Zero: Mali. He is currently writing a book about his experiences with rebel armies, which will be published by Random House later this year.Milène Larsson, producer and host at VICE News. She has been working for VICE for almost a decade. Previously European managing editor, she now primarily produces and hosts news documentaries, such as the award winning Israel’s Radical Left, Istanbul Rising and Young and Gay in Putin’s Russia. She also helped produce the Emmy nominated VICE series on HBO.Alex Miller is the editor in chief at VICE, and has recently presented and produced investigative news documentaries on the violent protests in Caracas, the fallout of the economic crisis in Greece, as well as video interviews with Clive Stafford Smith and Slavoj Žižek.The Changing News Landscape with:Richard Sambrook, professor of journalism and director at the Centre for Journalism, Cardiff University. He is a former director of Global News at the BBC where he worked as a journalist for 30 years as a producer, editor and manager.Kevin Sutcliffe, VICE head of news production for Europe and former editor of Channel 4′s Dispatches.Richard James is the news editor of BuzzFeed UK. He was previously the deputy online editor at Metro. Prior to that, he was the technology editor and SEO Executive at Metro. He has also worked at Daily Mail Online and Inthenews.co.uk.Tom Giles, editor of BBC current affairs programme, Panorama. He joined the BBC in 1991 on World Service Radio and went on to work on the Nine O’clock News, Newsnight, Panorama, Horizon and, for Current Affairs, on series such as BBC2′s Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain, Hooligans, The White Season, BBC Three’s Women, Weddings War and Me, and BBC factual drama development.AlexMillerArisRoussinoschivasregalFrontlineShowcaseHenryLangstonjournalismjournalistMileneLarssonnewsRichardSambrookTheChangingNewsLandscapeVICE

Showcase is a new event that incorporates the best of Frontline: compelling debate, inquisitive film, insightful discussion, thought-provoking surroundings, stimulating company and refreshing beverages. The evenings will feature two sessions of film or discussion with a break between when you will be welcomed into the members’ clubroom. Here you can meet your fellow audience members and enjoy a drink courtesy of Chivas Regal.For the first in the series we will be exploring the newly launched VICE News. The evening will begin by looking at the content they are producing. A panel of VICE News journalists will present and discuss their work.Following the break we will be bringing together journalists and editors from VICE News and other more established news outlets to discuss the changing news landscape and the place for new platforms and styles of reporting.Both sessions will be chaired by Richard Gizbert, presenter of The Listening Post on Al Jazeera English.An Introduction to VICE News with:Aris Roussinos, producer and host at VICE News. He was awarded the Rory Peck Award for News in November 2013 for his VICE film Ground Zero: Mali. He is currently writing a book about his experiences with rebel armies, which will be published by Random House later this year.Milène Larsson, producer and host at VICE News. She has been working for VICE for almost a decade. Previously European managing editor, she now primarily produces and hosts news documentaries, such as the award winning Israel’s Radical Left, Istanbul Rising and Young and Gay in Putin’s Russia. She also helped produce the Emmy nominated VICE series on HBO.Alex Miller is the editor in chief at VICE, and has recently presented and produced investigative news documentaries on the violent protests in Caracas, the fallout of the economic crisis in Greece, as well as video interviews with Clive Stafford Smith and Slavoj Žižek.The Changing News Landscape with:Richard Sambrook, professor of journalism and director at the Centre for Journalism, Cardiff University. He is a former director of Global News at the BBC where he worked as a journalist for 30 years as a producer, editor and manager.Kevin Sutcliffe, VICE head of news production for Europe and former editor of Channel 4′s Dispatches.Richard James is the news editor of BuzzFeed UK. He was previously the deputy online editor at Metro. Prior to that, he was the technology editor and SEO Executive at Metro. He has also worked at Daily Mail Online and Inthenews.co.uk.Tom Giles, editor of BBC current affairs programme, Panorama. He joined the BBC in 1991 on World Service Radio and went on to work on the Nine O’clock News, Newsnight, Panorama, Horizon and, for Current Affairs, on series such as BBC2′s Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain, Hooligans, The White Season, BBC Three’s Women, Weddings War and Me, and BBC factual drama development.AlexMillerArisRoussinoschivasregalFrontlineShowcaseHenryLangstonjournalismjournalistMileneLarssonnewsRichardSambrookTheChangingNewsLandscapeVICE

his year for the first time, the Hetherington family is inviting all Tim’s friends and colleagues to share their reflections on the anniversary of Tim’s death. It will be a free flowing discussion about Tim’s influence and continuing inspiration, including a sneak peek of Sebastian Junger‘s forthcoming film sparked by a conversation with Tim, a creative moment that is actually captured on film.We’ll get an inside view of the Bronx Documentary Center founded by New York photographer Mike Kamber, fulfilling Tim’s vision for photography in the community. Judith Hetherington will talk about some of the things she’s learned about her son in the last three years and Stephen Mayes will discuss the ambitions of the Tim Hetherington Trust, including announcements about imminent activities in 2014.We will also hear from close friends and colleagues Piers Dunn and James Brabazon who will talk about some of Tim’s less familiar attributes and Art Blundell, a fellow UN investigator, will talk about the meaning of Telemachus, Tim’s lesser-known middle name.We’ll also hear from Christina Piaia, Chris Hondros’ fiancé, about his new book launching this month and other activities of the Chris Hondros Fund.Please come, listen, talk and be inspired.

his year for the first time, the Hetherington family is inviting all Tim’s friends and colleagues to share their reflections on the anniversary of Tim’s death. It will be a free flowing discussion about Tim’s influence and continuing inspiration, including a sneak peek of Sebastian Junger‘s forthcoming film sparked by a conversation with Tim, a creative moment that is actually captured on film.We’ll get an inside view of the Bronx Documentary Center founded by New York photographer Mike Kamber, fulfilling Tim’s vision for photography in the community. Judith Hetherington will talk about some of the things she’s learned about her son in the last three years and Stephen Mayes will discuss the ambitions of the Tim Hetherington Trust, including announcements about imminent activities in 2014.We will also hear from close friends and colleagues Piers Dunn and James Brabazon who will talk about some of Tim’s less familiar attributes and Art Blundell, a fellow UN investigator, will talk about the meaning of Telemachus, Tim’s lesser-known middle name.We’ll also hear from Christina Piaia, Chris Hondros’ fiancé, about his new book launching this month and other activities of the Chris Hondros Fund.Please come, listen, talk and be inspired.

The court in Cairo is expected to reach a verdict on the Al Jazeera English journalists accused of aiding and abetting terrorism on Monday 23 June. The case has provoked worldwide condemnation as a trial of the free press in Egypt. Journalism itself has been on trial. Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed will have been incarcerated for 177 days on their next day in court. Four other Al Jazeera journalists are also being tried in absentia.Former hostages Terry Waite and Alan Johnston will join Amnesty’s Egypt expert Nicholas Piachaud at the Frontline Club on Friday 20 June at 11:00 AM to call for the Al Jazeera English journalists to be found not guilty of all the charges and sent home to their families.Terry Waite was held captive for over 1,700 days in Lebanon after attempting to negotiate the release of other prisoners in the 1980s. He is a towering figure in conflict resolution and inter-cultural relations but, after spending 24 hours a day chained to a radiator, he also understands the effects of prolonged captivity.BBC journalist Alan Johnston was kidnapped in Gaza City in 2007 and held for 114 days. He was aware, in captivity, of the worldwide campaign the BBC had launched to free him, a campaign that helped him through his ordeal.Amnesty’s Nicholas Piachaud believes that the trial of Al Jazeera’s journalists has sent a clear message to both the international and domestic media that Egypt does not tolerate dissent.For further queries or crewing requirements please call Ruchi Patel from Al Jazeera on 07811 392 474 or Millicent Teasdale at the Frontline Club on 0207 4798940.

The court in Cairo is expected to reach a verdict on the Al Jazeera English journalists accused of aiding and abetting terrorism on Monday 23 June. The case has provoked worldwide condemnation as a trial of the free press in Egypt. Journalism itself has been on trial. Mohamed Fahmy, Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed will have been incarcerated for 177 days on their next day in court. Four other Al Jazeera journalists are also being tried in absentia.Former hostages Terry Waite and Alan Johnston will join Amnesty’s Egypt expert Nicholas Piachaud at the Frontline Club on Friday 20 June at 11:00 AM to call for the Al Jazeera English journalists to be found not guilty of all the charges and sent home to their families.Terry Waite was held captive for over 1,700 days in Lebanon after attempting to negotiate the release of other prisoners in the 1980s. He is a towering figure in conflict resolution and inter-cultural relations but, after spending 24 hours a day chained to a radiator, he also understands the effects of prolonged captivity.BBC journalist Alan Johnston was kidnapped in Gaza City in 2007 and held for 114 days. He was aware, in captivity, of the worldwide campaign the BBC had launched to free him, a campaign that helped him through his ordeal.Amnesty’s Nicholas Piachaud believes that the trial of Al Jazeera’s journalists has sent a clear message to both the international and domestic media that Egypt does not tolerate dissent.For further queries or crewing requirements please call Ruchi Patel from Al Jazeera on 07811 392 474 or Millicent Teasdale at the Frontline Club on 0207 4798940.

Photography dominates the news in print and online. It is an immediate, vivid and mostly objective medium for portraying current events. In comparison, illustration is seen as more subjective and tends to be confined to softer, more abstract stories.But is there still room for illustration in hard-news stories?We are flooded with images taken by cameras and phones which often struggle to have the impact that they did 50 years ago. In a society that has become so desensitised to photographs of war, can illustration be used to better encapsulate a situation and connect with the viewer?In 2013 George Butler‘s drawings from war-damaged Syrian towns were used in The Guardian, The Times and on the BBC World News. He will be joining us to present his work and talk about how he produces it.He will be joined by Malik Meer, features editor for The Guardian and editor of the G2 supplement, to discuss the appeal of his illustrations.

Photography dominates the news in print and online. It is an immediate, vivid and mostly objective medium for portraying current events. In comparison, illustration is seen as more subjective and tends to be confined to softer, more abstract stories.But is there still room for illustration in hard-news stories?We are flooded with images taken by cameras and phones which often struggle to have the impact that they did 50 years ago. In a society that has become so desensitised to photographs of war, can illustration be used to better encapsulate a situation and connect with the viewer?In 2013 George Butler‘s drawings from war-damaged Syrian towns were used in The Guardian, The Times and on the BBC World News. He will be joining us to present his work and talk about how he produces it.He will be joined by Malik Meer, features editor for The Guardian and editor of the G2 supplement, to discuss the appeal of his illustrations.

On 6 April 1994, a plane carrying Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down over Kigali airport. The events that followed saw bitter ethnic divisions engulf the country: neighbour turned on neighbour and in the space of 100 days an estimated 800,000 Rwandans, mostly Tutsis, were killed.At the time the international community was heavily criticised for its slow response and now declassified diplomatic cables have revealed that the US, Britain and the United Nations were explicitly warned that a “new bloodbath” was imminent in Rwanda.Twenty years on we will look at how communities in Rwanda have been reconciled, the political, social and economic strides the country has taken and what more still needs to be done. We will also ask if the international community has learnt its lessons and if it can ensure that such a failure to react will never occur again.Chaired by foreign affairs editor of Sky News, Sam Kiley. Through the 90’s he served as Africa bureau chief for The Times, covering the genocide in Rwanda and its aftermath in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire).The panel:David Belton worked as a producer at BBC Newsnight in the 1990s where, amongst many foreign assignments, he covered the civil war in Bosnia and the genocide in Rwanda. In 2002, he co-wrote the story and produced the award-winning feature film Shooting Dogs based on real events that had taken place during the Rwandan genocide. He has since produced and directed many critically acclaimed and award-winning documentaries for British and American television. When The Hills Ask For Your Blood: A Personal Story of Genocide and Rwanda is his first book.Eric Murangwa Eugene is a Rwandan survivor of the 1994 genocide and former Rwandan international football player who founded Football for Hope, Peace and Unity (FHPU Enterprise) an initiative which uses sport and football in particular to assist the transformation of Rwandan community for social change and reconciliation here in the UK and in Rwanda itself.Mukesh Kapila, CBE is professor of Global Health and Humanitarian Affairs at the University of Manchester. Previously he was Under Secretary General at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan. He was the first UK government official to enter Kigali in 1994 after the genocide. He is author of Against a Tide of Evil.His Excellency Williams Nkurunziza is the high commissioner of the Republic of Rwanda to the United Kingdom and non-resident ambassador to Ireland. His previous posting was as high commissioner to India. Prior to his diplomatic career, he served as director general of the Rwanda Investment and Export Promotional Agency (RIEPA), during which time he worked to reposition post-genocide Rwanda in the international marketplace as an ideal investment destination and a reliable trading partner. During this time, he also served on President Paul Kagame’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council.

On 6 April 1994, a plane carrying Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down over Kigali airport. The events that followed saw bitter ethnic divisions engulf the country: neighbour turned on neighbour and in the space of 100 days an estimated 800,000 Rwandans, mostly Tutsis, were killed.At the time the international community was heavily criticised for its slow response and now declassified diplomatic cables have revealed that the US, Britain and the United Nations were explicitly warned that a “new bloodbath” was imminent in Rwanda.Twenty years on we will look at how communities in Rwanda have been reconciled, the political, social and economic strides the country has taken and what more still needs to be done. We will also ask if the international community has learnt its lessons and if it can ensure that such a failure to react will never occur again.Chaired by foreign affairs editor of Sky News, Sam Kiley. Through the 90’s he served as Africa bureau chief for The Times, covering the genocide in Rwanda and its aftermath in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire).The panel:David Belton worked as a producer at BBC Newsnight in the 1990s where, amongst many foreign assignments, he covered the civil war in Bosnia and the genocide in Rwanda. In 2002, he co-wrote the story and produced the award-winning feature film Shooting Dogs based on real events that had taken place during the Rwandan genocide. He has since produced and directed many critically acclaimed and award-winning documentaries for British and American television. When The Hills Ask For Your Blood: A Personal Story of Genocide and Rwanda is his first book.Eric Murangwa Eugene is a Rwandan survivor of the 1994 genocide and former Rwandan international football player who founded Football for Hope, Peace and Unity (FHPU Enterprise) an initiative which uses sport and football in particular to assist the transformation of Rwandan community for social change and reconciliation here in the UK and in Rwanda itself.Mukesh Kapila, CBE is professor of Global Health and Humanitarian Affairs at the University of Manchester. Previously he was Under Secretary General at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan. He was the first UK government official to enter Kigali in 1994 after the genocide. He is author of Against a Tide of Evil.His Excellency Williams Nkurunziza is the high commissioner of the Republic of Rwanda to the United Kingdom and non-resident ambassador to Ireland. His previous posting was as high commissioner to India. Prior to his diplomatic career, he served as director general of the Rwanda Investment and Export Promotional Agency (RIEPA), during which time he worked to reposition post-genocide Rwanda in the international marketplace as an ideal investment destination and a reliable trading partner. During this time, he also served on President Paul Kagame’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council.

A year after his victory in Egypt’s historic first free election Mohamed Morsi has been ousted. Since his removal from power by the military on 3 July tensions have soared on the streets of Egypt.In the early hours of 8 July 51 Muslim Brotherhood supporters were killed outside a Cairo barracks, where they believe Mohamed Morsi is being held. The Muslim Brotherhood claim its members were fired on as they staged a sit-in, while the army said it had responded to an armed provocation.Egypt’s military have moved quickly installing a new interim president, Adly Mansour, the chief justice of Egypt’s constitutional court. Adly Mansour has subsequently set out a timetable for amending the constitution, and for parliamentary and presidential elections for early 2014With events developing at great speed we will be taking stock of what has happened and asking what this means for Egypt’s future.Chaired by Jonathan Rugman, foreign affairs correspondent at Channel 4 News.The panel:Dina Wahba is an independent activist.Mohamed Yehia is the multi-media editor at BBC Arabic.Mona Al-Qazzaz is six months away from obtaining her PhD degree at Cambridge University. She participated in the revolution in January 2011 and she is currently the spokesperson of the Muslim Brotherhood in the UK. Her brother is one of the senior assistants of Mohamed Morsi who has been facing incommunicado detention.Dr Maha Azzam is an associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House.Dr Omar Ashour is a senior lecturer at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Doha Center. He is the author of The De-Radicalization of Jihadists: Transforming Armed Islamist Movements.

In war there is rarely a single action or answer that will bring peace. As we are seeing with the conflict in Syria, the process of negotiation and resolution is incredibly complex. As the focus swings from intervention to international conferences, how do you begin to forge an agreement?In a unique account of the process of conflict resolution, The Fog of Peace: The Human Face of Conflict Resolution offers an insight into psychological theories, geopolitical realities and first-hand peace-making experience.The authors will be joining us to share their analysis of international diplomacy and the complexities of conflict resolution. They will be exploring the question of intervention and examining the impact of the changing nature of warfare and technology.Chaired by Channel 4 News presenter, Jon Snow.With:Gabrielle Rifkind is the director of the Middle East programme at Oxford Research Group. She is a group analyst and specialist in conflict resolution immersed in the politics of the Middle East. Rifkind combines in-depth political and psychological expertise with many years’ experience in promoting serious analysis and discreet dialogues with groups behind the scenes.Giandomenico Picco served as under-secretary general of the United Nations and was personal representative of the secretary general for the United Nation year of dialogue amongst civilisations. He led the task force negotiations to end the Iran-Iraq war and the freedom of Western hostages from Lebanon. Over decades he helped securing the freedom of 127 individuals unjustly detained from 4 different countries.

In war there is rarely a single action or answer that will bring peace. As we are seeing with the conflict in Syria, the process of negotiation and resolution is incredibly complex. As the focus swings from intervention to international conferences, how do you begin to forge an agreement?In a unique account of the process of conflict resolution, The Fog of Peace: The Human Face of Conflict Resolution offers an insight into psychological theories, geopolitical realities and first-hand peace-making experience.The authors will be joining us to share their analysis of international diplomacy and the complexities of conflict resolution. They will be exploring the question of intervention and examining the impact of the changing nature of warfare and technology.Chaired by Channel 4 News presenter, Jon Snow.With:Gabrielle Rifkind is the director of the Middle East programme at Oxford Research Group. She is a group analyst and specialist in conflict resolution immersed in the politics of the Middle East. Rifkind combines in-depth political and psychological expertise with many years’ experience in promoting serious analysis and discreet dialogues with groups behind the scenes.Giandomenico Picco served as under-secretary general of the United Nations and was personal representative of the secretary general for the United Nation year of dialogue amongst civilisations. He led the task force negotiations to end the Iran-Iraq war and the freedom of Western hostages from Lebanon. Over decades he helped securing the freedom of 127 individuals unjustly detained from 4 different countries.