Professionally curious: The art of investigative journalism

If skepticism is a battle to bring to light pseudoscience, misinformation and outright fraud, investigative journalism is often the frontline, with many of the most important moments in skeptical history coming as a result of the right journalist being in the right place to ask the right question at the right time. How do journalists know which threads to pull? How do they check facts and source claims? And how do they do all of this without falling foul of legal threats?

Our panel to talk through the professionally curious world of investigative journalism will be:

Meirion Jones is a freelance journalist who was previously Editor of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and before that worked for Panorama, Newsnight, WATO/PM and Today. He is known for his investigations into Bogus Bomb Detectors, Jimmy Savile, the Fake Sheikh, toxic waste dumping and Vulture Funds.

Rina Raphael is a journalist who specializes in health, wellness, tech, and women’s issues. She was a features contributor for Fast Company magazine and has also written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, CBS, NBC News, and New York magazine. She is the author of The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop and the False Promise of Self-Care.

Layla Wright is a multi-award winning documentary presenter and maker from Liverpool, mentored by Louis Theroux. She has made a number of films for the BBC, including investigations into alternative cancer treatments and the failings at the Champions League Final featuring Liverpool FC and Real Madrid. Her most recent film, The Rise of America’s New Female Far Right, saw her investigating the growth in extremist anti-feminist beliefs in young, female social media stars in America.

Michael Marshall is the Project Director of the Good Thinking Society, and editor of The Skeptic. He has gone undercover to investigate psychics, conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers and alternative medicine practitioners. His investigative work has informed reporting across the UK media, and he has given lectures on journalism and PR to undergraduate students as part of degree courses at several universities.

As with all of our panels, entry to Professionally curious: The art of investigative journalism is included with all QED tickets, costing £189 for an in-person ticket, or £45 for an online streaming ticket.