Monday, 7 September: The Byline Times team will assemble at The Cockpit with special guests for a timely, open-form discussion about British media culture and what happens when journalism’s power to expose becomes a power to destroy. Do join us if you can. The purpose of a free press – the reason a robust media is an essential component of any democracy – is to question the powerful and challenge prevailing orthodoxy. Our own freedoms are at risk the moment journalists are impeded from scrutinising oligarchy, corruption and rigid thinking. But as Byline Times has noted since its inception, today’s billionaire press demands impunity in the name of those crucial freedoms. It too often turns its debate-shaping powers against the people it's meant to serve: to monster, to demonise, to hack and surveil. And any mention of accountability is painted as an act of totalitarian Soviet-style repression. So in light of recent events in the world of journalism, we’re dedicating our next evening slot at The Cockpit to doing what Byline Times does best: turning a forensic eye back on the press itself.

Description supplied by the event organiser.