Register now for this AJE UK Winter 2026 seminar: Populism’s challenge to journalism

We are excited to announce details for our next Association for Journalism Education (AJE) event.

Event: AJE UK Winter 2026 seminar: Populism’s challenge to journalism

Date and time: Wednesday, January 14, 2026, from 3pm (GMT)

Location: Online (Zoom) – free admission. Register your place for the event via Eventbrite HERE.

Details: 

With mainstream journalism under constant attack the world over, join the Association for Journalism Education (AJE) to take an in-depth look at how populism is challenging journalism, what it means for the quality of our news, for trust in our news, for the work of journalists and the preparation of our students.

In the UK, populists have launched an onslaught against what they call institutionalised BBC bias, whilst new broadcasters like GB News drive a coach and horses through those same impartiality rules every day with little mention.

At a local level, the decline in local newspapers has left significant gaps in the resources required to scrutinise local politics and power, at the same time as populists have swept to power in local elections. Could the two be linked?

In the US, President Trump continues to attack and denigrate mainstream and liberal media, labelling criticism of himself and his regime as ‘fake news’, while right wing shock jocks incite the MAGA movement and conspiracy theorists in an unregulated media environment.

Local, national and global journalism is facing unprecedented attacks from populists the world over.

At the AJE winter seminar, two leading UK Journalism scholars – Professor Julie Firmstone, from the University of Leeds, and Professor Richard Tait, from Cardiff University – will discuss this issue before opening it up for audience discussion.

Professor Firmstone’s research explores the intersection between journalism, the news media, and democratic engagement, with a focus on local journalism. She will talk about the current trend for public attacks on journalism and news media, and the impact these have on journalists and news audiences. Reflecting on interviews with local journalists and focus groups with audiences, she will consider how attempts to discredit mainstream media work to systematically undermine the legitimacy of journalism, shaping a narrative which fuels growing levels of distrust and leads to a deterioration in the audience-journalist relationship.

Professor Tait has had a ringside seat at the heart of UK Journalism for almost half a century. After a stellar career at the BBC, he became editor-in-chief of ITN. Later, as a leading Journalism academic, he was both a governor and a trustee of the BBC. He sees the rise of populism as a serious and current challenge to quality journalism and has spoken about that and the current BBC crisis on many platforms.

The event will be convened by Tor Clark, Associate Professor in Journalism at the University of Leicester, co-editor, along with Professor Tait, of the recent book Pandering to Populism? Journalism and Politics in a Post-truth Age, and Sean Dodson, a contributor to that book, Senior Lecturer in Journalism at Leeds Beckett University.

To register your place, please visit the event page on Eventbrite HERE.