The CMH was honoured to have world-leading scholar in media and communications, Professor James Curran (Goldsmiths, University of London) speak at at event held on the evening of 13 October 2017 to mark the Centre's 10th anniversary.

Professor Curran's lecture was titled: “Moral Decline of the British Press"—a fascinating look at the drop in editorial standards since the 1980s which led to the News International phone hacking scandal. The decline was manifested in the rise of fake news and irresponsible reporting that wrecked the lives of innocent people. By 2015, trust in the press in Britain was lower than in any other European country.

According to Professor Curran, this moral collapse had multiple causes: pressures exerted by new proprietors, the bullying of journalists to get results, an industrial culture of impunity, a weak countervailing professional identity, and increasing staff insecurity. Above all, it was a response to the press’s deepening economic crisis, caused by collapsing sales and hemorrhaging advertising.

Inaugural Director CMH, Professor Bridget Griffen-Foley also spoke at the event, acknowledging the CMH's many achievements over the past decade.

The seminar, co-hosted with Sydney University, was a great success with more than 50 attendees representing MQ and Sydney University Media staff, the ABC, a range of prominent scholars, and the general public.

A dinner followed the presentation. The full transcript of Professor Curran's lecture is available to download here.

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