Media Masters

Matt Murray is editor-in-chief of the Wall Street Journal. Attracted by the “compelling drama” of business journalism, he joined the paper as a reporter in 1994, rising through the ranks over 25 years and eventually securing the top job in 2018. Today, the paper is the biggest-selling broadsheet in the US, with a print circulation of 900,000 and two million digital subscribers – the most in its history. In this in-depth interview, Matt reflects on his long career, discusses the balancing act of supporting investors while holding businesses to account - and reveals what it’s really like working for Rupert Murdoch.

James Ball is an award-winning journalist and author. After completing a Master’s degree in investigative journalism aged 21, he cut his teeth at The Grocer before progressing to the Times, the Telegraph, Dispatches and Panorama. In 2010, he joined the Bureau of Investigative Journalism to work on the Iraq war documents, and was poached by Julian Assange to join WikiLeaks. He became the Guardian’s data editor in 2013 and was a key member of the tight-knit team investigating the documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, for which they won a Pulitzer Prize. In this in-depth interview, he describes the clandestine methods used to keep the investigation under wraps, argues that data ‘holds the key’ to keeping governments accountable – and reveals what it was really like working for “serial liar” Julian Assange.

Elizabeth Day is an award-winning author, journalist and podcaster. Landing her first column aged 12 in her local paper, she went on to become a journalist for the Observer before going freelance. She has written for a range of newspapers and magazines in the UK and the US including the Times, the Telegraph, Vogue and Elle. Now a columnist for the Mail on Sunday’s You magazine and contributing editor for Harper’s Bazaar, she has also written four novels. Lauded by critics for its painful honesty, her celebrity podcast, How to Fail, debuted at the top of the iTunes charts and forms the basis for her forthcoming non-fiction book. In this in-depth interview, she takes us through the launch of the podcast, discusses how the rise of long-form journalism could reverse the decline in the newspaper industry – and reveals what it was like to spend a week living as Gwyneth Paltrow.

Erwin James is editor-in-chief of Inside Time, the UK’s only newspaper for prisoners. Convicted in 1982 for two murders and sentenced to life, he went on the run to the French Foreign Legion for two years before handing himself in. In his two decades behind bars, he studied English and discovered a love of writing. This led to ‘A Life Inside’, the first ever national newspaper column written by a serving prisoner, which appeared in the Guardian until his release in 2004. A vocal campaigner for penal reform, he took the reins as editor of Inside Time in 2015. With a circulation of 60,000, he receives 500 letters a week from inmates across the UK. In this in-depth interview, he describes his “relief” at the sentence which allowed him to leave behind a life of crime, talks about how he “owes it to his victims” to do the best he can to prevent young offenders from making the same mistakes – and reveals the truth about life inside some of the UK’s most notorious prisons. 

Ewan Vinnicombe is editor of Blue Peter. A lifelong fan of the show - and a proud recipient of one of its sought-after badges when he was just six years old - he started with the BBC aged 21 as a “tea boy for the Chuckle Brothers,” before moving on to entertainment development. He later became head of presentation, producing shows such as 'CBeebies Bedtime Stories' and the live links between programmes featuring children's favourite Hacker T Dog. In this in-depth interview, he takes us behind the scenes of the iconic show, pays homage to past presenters, reveals the recruitment process behind the on-screen current line-up – and discusses last year’s record-breaking 60th anniversary celebrations.

Martha Lane Fox is founder of Doteveryone and a member of the House of Lords. A successful entrepreneur, she co-founded Lastminute.com in 1998, which eventually sold for £577 million in 2005, the same year she launched karaoke chain Lucky Voice. She is chancellor of the Open University, patron of several charities and a board member at Twitter and Chanel. In this in-depth interview, she discusses how she uses her voice in the public and private sector to push for action on climate change, recalls the “incredible culture” that made lastminute.com a success, and explains why curiosity, resilience and kindness will always have value in the future – even when the world is being run by robots.

Sir Harold Evans is former editor of the Sunday Times. Revered throughout Fleet Street, his name is synonymous with the golden age of investigative journalism; during his career he has risked prison, defied the courts, and put his newspaper’s very existence on the line in pursuit of the truth. In doing so, he has exposed government cover-ups; brought thalidomide to public attention, later winning compensation for victims; and campaigned for a national cervical screening programme which still saves thousands of lives every year. In this in-depth interview, he takes us through his 60-year career from his very first reporting job in the aftermath of World War II, reflects on his move to New York and later career in publishing – and pays homage to his wife, former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown, whose journalistic skills leave him “cowering in the corner”.

Miranda Sawyer is a journalist, broadcaster and best-selling author. Starting in the 80s at iconic magazine Smash Hits, she was synonymous with ‘Madchester’ and the rave scene in the 90s, and has since built a portfolio career covering print, radio, television and publishing. She has been the Observer’s audio critic for 13 years, and has interviewed artists from the Happy Mondays to Madonna. In this in-depth interview, she describes the joy of writing a well-crafted hatchet job, shares her definitive guide for overcoming a midlife crisis – and vents her frustration that the long overdue rise of women radio presenters is still limited to former ‘ladettes’.

James Ledbetter is editor-in-chief of American business magazine Inc. Taking the reins in 2014, he oversees a global multimedia business covering print, digital, video, custom publishing and live events with a monthly online audience of 20 million and a print circulation of 700,000. Their ‘Inc 5000’ list is the definitive ranking of America’s fastest-growing, privately held companies. In this in-depth interview, he takes us through the magazine’s 40-year history from the three-piece suits of the 70s to the diversity of today’s socially-conscious entrepreneurs, discusses how the “robot revolution” isn’t shaping up to be the crisis that many predicted it to be, and argues that it’s easier to start a business in Singapore than it is in the US.

Matthew Belloni is editorial director of the Hollywood Reporter. A former attorney, in 2008 he swapped the courtroom for the newsroom, two years after becoming their entertainment law editor. Now in charge of a global brand, he oversees 150 editorial staff who produce an array of multimedia content for an audience of over 35 million worldwide. In this in-depth interview, he reveals the unglamorous reality of red carpet reporting, describes the “colossal failure” of the Academy to make the Oscars watchable – and discusses how the new ‘post-Weinstein’ Hollywood has given filmmakers, particularly women, the freedom to tell more diverse stories.

Julie Etchingham presents ITV’s News at Ten, and fronts their major current affairs shows Tonight, Exposure and On Assignment. Starting her career as a BBC trainee in 1990, she has worked for Sky and ITV, reporting on global events such as Grenfell, the US and UK elections and terror attacks in Westminster, Paris and Brussels. She also led ITV’s coverage of the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and in 2015 was the first woman to moderate a general election leaders’ debate. A vocal campaigner for equality, her programmes on the menopause, #MeToo and transgender rights have highlighted some of the most important issues facing society. In this in-depth interview, she recalls ‘doorstepping’ Pope Francis, takes us behind the scenes at News at Ten, and describes the “quiet Friday night” which ended when news broke of the Paris terror attacks, just one hour before the nightly bulletin.

Adrian Monck is managing director of the World Economic Forum, best known for their flagship conference at Davos. The annual event brings together the world’s political leaders with entrepreneurs, economists and celebrities to discuss the most pressing issues facing humanity. In this in-depth interview, the former broadcast journalist and university professor talks behind the scenes at Davos, how social media is helping the Forum to reach new audiences worldwide – and reveals what it really takes to get world leaders to listen to one another.

Stephen Wright is associate news editor at the Daily Mail. His reporting of the Stephen Lawrence murder drove the paper’s campaign to bring his killers to justice. During his 30-year career he has written about the country’s most shocking murders, investigated criminal gangs, and exposed police corruption. In this in-depth interview, he discusses the difficulty of reporting distressing court details, how the press/police relationship suffered after Leveson – and recalls how he feared for his life while doorstepping a vicious murderer from Interpol’s ‘most wanted’.

As co-head of Creative Arts Agency, music industry agent Emma Banks leads a £200m business with 2,000 employees. Her clients include some of the biggest names in music such as Florence + The Machine, Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Muse. During her 25-year career, she has received a number of industry gongs – including the 2018 MITS award for her “significant contribution to the UK music industry”, having been hailed “a trailblazer for women”. In this in-depth interview, she shares the secrets to spotting and nurturing emerging talent – and reveals the mountain of decisions needed to get multimillion-dollar tours on the road.

Mark Williams-Thomas is a multi award-winning investigative reporter. After a 12-year career with Surrey Police, he became an advisor for television crime dramas, and got his first on-screen presenting job while organising a sting on a German paedophile in 2008 for ITV’s Tonight programme. He has since reported on a number of major investigations, including the murder of Tia Sharp and the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. In this in-depth interview, he discusses his involvement with the Savile investigation – and how the existence of celebrity “untouchables” means there may be more to come.

Julio Bruno is chief executive of Time Out Group. During his three years at the helm, he has overseen the brand’s transformation into a multi-platform media, entertainment, retail and e-commerce operation with a global audience of 217 million. He has also coordinated the expansion of the new Time Out Markets, which last year attracted 3.6 million visitors and is already helping to drive the company back to profitability with five more set to open over the next 12 months. In this in-depth interview, he discusses the 50-year heritage of the iconic Time Out brand, talks about taking the company public, and how his love for London inspired the post-Brexit ‘Dear World’ cover.

Paul Royall is editor of BBC News at Ten. After joining the BBC in 1997 as part of the original News 24 team, he worked on BBC Breakfast before becoming editor of the distinctly different Six and Ten in 2012. Since then, he has overseen reporting of two general elections, the Scottish referendum, Brexit and the presidency of Donald Trump, and has responsibility for deciding the running order of the two programmes. In this in-depth interview, he answers the question he’s most asked - about the role of presenters behind the scenes, who writes the scripts, and what happens when things go wrong – and reveals how a trainee came up with the idea for a new BBC Three initiative to appeal to younger audiences.

Rageh Omaar is international affairs editor at ITV News. During his 25-year career, he has reported from some of the world’s most unpredictable conflicts and humanitarian disasters in Kabul, Baghdad and Gaza. His 2017 report on the impending famine in the Horn of Africa led to more than £50m of aid being raised, and cemented his reputation for hard-hitting coverage of humanitarian disasters. In this in-depth interview, he recalls some of the pivotal moments of his career, from interviewing Nelson Mandela to the “seat of the pants” experience of presenting News at Ten.

Alison Phillips is editor of the Daily Mirror. She has held a number of top jobs within Trinity Mirror (now ‘Reach’), including editing the Sunday Mirror, the Sunday People and the short-lived New Day. Since taking the reins at the UK’s longest-running red-top, she has vowed to continue the newspaper’s proud history of campaigns - over the last century, the paper has been instrumental in securing more lifeboats (after the Titanic sank without enough for steerage passengers), outlawed seal clubbing, and today is seeking to change the law on organ donation. In this in-depth interview, she takes us through a typical day in the newsroom - and explains why print still prevails over digital, particularly in the run-up to Brexit.

Emily Wilson is editor of New Scientist. Following on from a successful career at the Guardian, including a stint editing its Australian edition, she is the first woman in charge of the magazine in its 62-year history. Tasked with bringing the magazine to a younger, more diverse audience, she discusses her plans to expand on its existing five million online readers. In this in-depth interview, she argues that science advocacy is “boring”, and describes how some of her favourite stories are the ones that “slaughter the sacred cow” of her own beliefs.