UK SECTION

 

The AEJ is active across the continent of Europe. Please visit its website, www.aej.org, and check AEJ Newsletters for information about what it is doing for its members

 

 

AEJ in the UK

 

UK Section's 40th birthday party

 

The AEJ links major European newsmakers and journalists in Britain in a professional and social network. Our membership includes journalists from national newspapers and broadcasting organisations, and freelances, writers and researchers. The UK section provides useful support as well as access to newsmakers who are not always easily available.

 

Membership is open to both UK and non-UK nationals and activities are funded by an annual fee and entry charges to our professional lunches. The membership fee is £30 a year.

 

Please click on our links to see our activities, including the lunchtime meetings under News/Events, our participation in World Press Freedom Day, Past Events and the Section's annual meetings.

 

 

Membership of the Irish Section of the AEJ is open to journalists in Northern Ireland

 

___________________________________

 

 

Don Hatwell

 

Our congratulations and thanks to Don for his highly enjoyable autobiography, Reporting a Life – "from urchin to critic," as he puts it. The book was published by Matador on 1 May 2012.

 

Don is a long-standing friend in the AEJ. Kevin d'Arcy, our secretary for many years, has written this:

 

This was the AEJ

 

British section members who would like an idea of the part we have played in Britain and Europe for much of the past 30 years could do little better than grab a copy of the recently published Reporting a life by former secretary Don Hatwell.

 

He actually stood down as secretary, treasurer and, finally, chairman in the 1980s, but stayed close to the action for many years.

 

His acerbic autobiography, inevitably covering both his personal and professional life, includes a number of penetrating insights into a range of actions and motivations, with AEJ annual congresses playing a prominent part.

 

It is fair to say that Don has seldom been anything but honest in his dealings with others, which has inevitably found him in a number of difficult situations.

 

This book may well continue that tradition.

 

[Ed: This is not Don's first book. In 1970 he published Sophie, or the Virtues of Misfortune, a novel, under the pseudonym Dilys Peterson]

 

 

 

Description: Description: Description: anniv-crowdThe UK Section celebrated its 40th birthday with a party on 30 October 2008, organised jointly with the Foreign Press Association, whose 120th birthday also fell this year. It took place in the FPA's splendid Description: Description: Description: anniv-membersmansion in Carlton House Terrace, the London residence of the 19th century prime minister, William Gladstone.

 

Most of our members were there, as were many of our past guests and Description: Description: Description: anniv-milibandthe Foreign Secretary, David Miliband. It was a highly memorable and enjoyable evening.

 

UK Section Chairman William Horsley called the attention of the assembled public figures and media people to the decline of media freedom and free expression in much of Europe, as shown by many recent OSCE and Council of Europe reports.

 

Description: Description: Description: anniv-WH

William Horsley's address

 

 

Reflections on the establishment of the AEJ UK Section by a founder member, Roger Broad

 

 

 

______________________________________________

 

Paul C Hodgson 1923-2009

 

Paul was one of the founding fathers of the UK Section and, for many years, its chairman. He later chaired the international AEJ. A veteran of the BBC in many roles, he died on 10 March 2009 – obituary

___________________________________

 

Gerard Mansell 1921-2010

 

We have to record the sad news of Gerry's death on 18 December. After retiring from the BBC External Service in 1981, he chaired the UK Section until 1991. He brought us an irrepressible enthusiasm and sense of fun – obituary

___________________________________

 

Brian Hanrahan

 

Brian was a member of the UK section for many years. To mark the sad news of his death on 20 December 2010, William Horsley has written a tribute to his friend and colleague.

 

___________________________________

 

John Coleman

 

We record with great sorrow that John Coleman died on 5 January 2010. He was a frequent participant in AEJ meetings, livening our discussions with an enthusiasm and originality that was wholly unique. He is sorely missed. An obituary was published in The Daily Telegraph on 29 January.

 

 

 

 

Home

AEJ in the UK

UK Section Meetings

Procedures

Paul Hodgson: Obituary

Gerard Mansell: Obituary

 

News/Events

Past Events

AEJ in Europe

Int'l AEJ News

 

Media Freedom

Media Freedom Survey

World Press Freedom Day

 

Europe Diary

Useful Links

 

Membership

Contacts