Nick Davies
Encyclopedia
Nick Davies is a British investigative journalist, writer and documentary
maker.
Davies has written extensively as a freelancer
, as well as for The Guardian
and The Observer
, and been named Reporter of the Year Journalist of the Year and Feature Writer of the Year at the British Press Awards
. He was the winner of the first Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism
in 1999.
Davies has made documentaries for ITV
's World in Action
, and written numerous books on the subject of politics and journalism, including Flat Earth News, which attracted considerable controversy as an exposé of journalistic malpractice in the UK and across the globe. As a reporter for The Guardian, Davies was responsible for uncovering the News of the World phone hacking affair
, including the July 2011 revelations of hacking into the mobile phone voicemail of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.
. He then moved to London initially to work for the Sunday People
and spent a year working for The Evening Standard before becoming a news reporter at The Guardian
in July 1979. Since then he has worked as home affairs correspondent at The Observer
; chief feature writer at London Daily News
in 1986 and on-screen reporter for World in Action
. After the London Daily News folded he moved to the USA for a year, where he wrote White Lies, about the wrongful conviction of a black janitor for the murder of a white girl. Since 1989 Davies has been a freelance reporter for The Guardian
, for which he continues to contribute articles as of 2009, working from his home in Lewes
.
Following the publication of Flat Earth News and a Guardian story co-authored by Davies claiming that News of the World journalists tapped private mobile phones
to get stories, on 14 July 2009 Davies told the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee
that the Metropolitan Police Service
had done too little to investigate the claims. The Guardian coverage also led to calls from high-profile MPs for the dismissal of Andy Coulson
, communications director for the Conservative Party
.
on its publication as "a genuinely important book, one which is likely to change, permanently, the way anyone who reads it looks at the British newspaper industry". The LRB highlighted the analysis showing that 60% of the content of UK papers was based mainly on wire copy
or press releases, while only 12% are original stories and only 12% of stories showed evidence that the central statement had been corroborated (see Churnalism
). Mary Riddell in The Observer
disputed some of the charges against British journalism in the book, and described it as "unduly pessimistic". Peter Oborne
in The Spectator
concentrated on the use of illegal techniques to invade privacy rather than declining standards, describing Flat Earth News as "hypnotically readable" and praising the collection of evidence that the practice of journalism is "bent", although qualifying this somewhat by suggesting that Davies "ignores a great deal [of journalism] that is salient and good".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012f6fz
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
maker.
Davies has written extensively as a freelancer
Freelancer
A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and...
, as well as for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, and been named Reporter of the Year Journalist of the Year and Feature Writer of the Year at the British Press Awards
British Press Awards
The British Press Awards is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism. Established in the 1970s, honours are voted on by a panel of journalists and newspaper executives...
. He was the winner of the first Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism
Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism
The Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, named for the renowned war correspondent, Martha Gellhorn, was established in 1999 by the Martha Gellhorn Trust. It is founded on the following principles:...
in 1999.
Davies has made documentaries for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's World in Action
World in Action
World in Action was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Granada Television from 1963 until 1998. Its campaigning journalism frequently had a major impact on events of the day. Its production teams often took audacious risks and gained a solid reputation for its often...
, and written numerous books on the subject of politics and journalism, including Flat Earth News, which attracted considerable controversy as an exposé of journalistic malpractice in the UK and across the globe. As a reporter for The Guardian, Davies was responsible for uncovering the News of the World phone hacking affair
News of the World phone hacking affair
The News International phone-hacking scandal is an ongoing controversy involving mainly the News of the World but also other British tabloid newspapers published by News International, a subsidiary of News Corporation. Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police...
, including the July 2011 revelations of hacking into the mobile phone voicemail of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.
Career in journalism
Davies gained a PPE degree from Oxford University in 1974, and started his journalism career in 1976, working as a trainee for The Mirror Group in PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
. He then moved to London initially to work for the Sunday People
The People
The People, previously known as the Sunday People, is a British tabloid Sunday-only newspaper. The paper was founded on 16 October 1881.It is published by the Trinity Mirror Group.In July 2011 it had an average daily circulation of 806,544....
and spent a year working for The Evening Standard before becoming a news reporter at The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
in July 1979. Since then he has worked as home affairs correspondent at The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
; chief feature writer at London Daily News
London Daily News
The London Daily News was a short-lived London newspaper owned by Robert Maxwell.-1987:The London Daily News was published from 24 February to 24 July 1987. It was intended to be a "24-hour" paper challenging the local dominance of the Evening Standard."For the city that never sleeps, the paper...
in 1986 and on-screen reporter for World in Action
World in Action
World in Action was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Granada Television from 1963 until 1998. Its campaigning journalism frequently had a major impact on events of the day. Its production teams often took audacious risks and gained a solid reputation for its often...
. After the London Daily News folded he moved to the USA for a year, where he wrote White Lies, about the wrongful conviction of a black janitor for the murder of a white girl. Since 1989 Davies has been a freelance reporter for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, for which he continues to contribute articles as of 2009, working from his home in Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
.
Following the publication of Flat Earth News and a Guardian story co-authored by Davies claiming that News of the World journalists tapped private mobile phones
News of the World phone hacking affair
The News International phone-hacking scandal is an ongoing controversy involving mainly the News of the World but also other British tabloid newspapers published by News International, a subsidiary of News Corporation. Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police...
to get stories, on 14 July 2009 Davies told the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee
Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee
The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee is one of the Select Committees of the British House of Commons, established in 1997. It oversees the operations of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport which replaced the Department for National Heritage....
that the Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
had done too little to investigate the claims. The Guardian coverage also led to calls from high-profile MPs for the dismissal of Andy Coulson
Andy Coulson
Andrew Edward Coulson is an English journalist and political strategist.Coulson was the editor of the News of the World from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's reporters in relation to illegal phone-hacking.He subsequently joined David Cameron's...
, communications director for the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
Critical reaction to Flat Earth News
Flat Earth News was greeted in the London Review of BooksLondon Review of Books
The London Review of Books is a fortnightly British magazine of literary and intellectual essays.-History:The LRB was founded in 1979, during the year-long lock-out at The Times, by publisher A...
on its publication as "a genuinely important book, one which is likely to change, permanently, the way anyone who reads it looks at the British newspaper industry". The LRB highlighted the analysis showing that 60% of the content of UK papers was based mainly on wire copy
News agency
A news agency is an organization of journalists established to supply news reports to news organizations: newspapers, magazines, and radio and television broadcasters. Such an agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire or news service.-History:The oldest news agency is Agence...
or press releases, while only 12% are original stories and only 12% of stories showed evidence that the central statement had been corroborated (see Churnalism
Churnalism
Churnalism is a form of journalism in which press releases, wire stories and other forms of pre-packaged material are used to create articles in newspapers and other news media in order to meet increasing pressures of time and cost without undertaking further research or checking.-Prevalence:In his...
). Mary Riddell in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
disputed some of the charges against British journalism in the book, and described it as "unduly pessimistic". Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne is a British journalist and political commentator. He was educated at Sherborne School and The University of Cambridge. He is a Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph columnist, author of The Rise of Political Lying and The Triumph of the Political Class, and, with Frances Weaver, the...
in The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
concentrated on the use of illegal techniques to invade privacy rather than declining standards, describing Flat Earth News as "hypnotically readable" and praising the collection of evidence that the practice of journalism is "bent", although qualifying this somewhat by suggesting that Davies "ignores a great deal [of journalism] that is salient and good".
Awards
- British Press AwardsBritish Press AwardsThe British Press Awards is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism. Established in the 1970s, honours are voted on by a panel of journalists and newspaper executives...
Reporter of the Year, 2000; Journalist of the Year and Feature Writer of the Year. - Martha Gellhorn Prize for JournalismMartha Gellhorn Prize for JournalismThe Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, named for the renowned war correspondent, Martha Gellhorn, was established in 1999 by the Martha Gellhorn Trust. It is founded on the following principles:...
, 1999.
External links
- Nick Davies official website
- Column archive at The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- Articles authored at Journalisted
- Flat Earth News, official book website
- An Interview with Nick Davies, The Third Estate, 7 September 2009
- BBC Profile of Nick Davies, BBC Radio 4, 9 July 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012f6fz