Just one show again today at the Book Festival, as I’m continuing to mix it up a bit between Festivals (and visitors), so today I went to a panel discussion on ‘The Inside Scoop on Investigations’. Chaired by journalist Peter Godwin, the panel comprised Isabel Hilton (Chair of the Centre for Investigative Journalism), award-winning Guardian investigative journalist Harry Davies and investigative journalist and author Lucia Osborne-Crowley, who attended Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial and has written a book about it (The Lasting Harm: Witnessing the Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell).
Godwin seemed a little unsure at the start and read somewhat hesitantly from his notes, but actually allowed each of the panel members to have the spotlight on them individually for a good length of time and didn’t make it about himself, except for briefly explaining that he and Hilton had worked together in the past. His chairing style was to prompt and then let the panellists have their say, which, in my opinion, is exactly how it should be.
“Godwin seemed a little unsure at the start and read somewhat hesitantly from his notes, but actually allowed each of the panel members to have the spotlight on them individually for a good length of time and didn’t make it about himself…”
First up he asked Hilton to describe the differences in how investigative journalism works nowadays compared with how it was done ‘back in the day’ several decades ago. Of course, the rise of technology and its uses was the main distinction drawn and the knock-on effects that it was still having. No established, well-financed hard-copy newspapers to rely on for sales and advertising revenue, so much less certainty in the world. She also talked about the cross-over between the media and the UK intelligence services and her experience of being blacklisted as a result. Fascinating.
AI Dangers and the Ghislaine Maxwell Trial: ‘The Lasting Harm’
Davies was up next, and he carried on the theme, explaining how investigative journalism survives in more financially precarious days, especially as many investigations can take years to conclude, using up a great deal of time and money. Davies says he prefers cases which involve dealing directly with people as well as the ‘desk work’ required. He talked about investigations into Mossad and Cambridge Analytica.
Self-effacing and low-key, or just naturally cautious and keeping his cards close to his chest, as his job requires, or perhaps a bit of both. The word ‘diplomatic’ came to mind, and I guess that’s part of the job. He mentioned ensuring that sources were kept safe, rather than worrying about his own skin too. He spoke about the cautious use of AI and its inherent dangers too, and in the Q&A after was pressed further on how those two sides of AI could be compatible. Caution was again the watchword.
Osborne-Crowley was last up and her story was absolutely fascinating—no wonder she’s written the book about the Ghislaine Maxwell trial. Straight away she admitted she wasn’t able to attend because she was the ‘best’ journalist for the job, but rather because she was willing to endure the ice and the snow through the night to queue up to be one of the first four journalists in line.
As a Covid-related measure only four journalists were allowed to attend and attendance on day one didn’t guarantee attendance on any of the following days—it was always a case of first-come, first-served, so she queued through the night each time, once literally going straight into line from the courtroom, to ensure she was always there for the ‘highlight’ which was when the verdict would be given. She, like everyone else, knew that this could happen at any time on any day.
“Osborne-Crowley was last up and her story was absolutely fascinating—no wonder she’s written the book about the Ghislaine Maxwell trial.”
Her dedication and hardy weathering of those bitter hours paid off. What a story. Insights into Maxwell’s demeanour and attitude to the trial, the number of names that have been redacted—despite a ruling that ‘causing potential threat to reputation’ wasn’t a good enough reason for redacting a name—and how many times Trump’s name comes up just in the un-redacted transcripts (fewer times than Jesus’ name in the Bible according to Osborne-Crowley) were truly shocking. There are lots of people out there who must be hoping all of this will just go away.
An audience member during the Q&A session asked how we could help to ensure this does not happen, and the answer is we must all keep talking about it and calling for action. Osborne-Crowley’s biggest hope is the victim group, who have already achieved so much by bravely keeping on telling their stories. Ignoring what is going on to try and keep this story out of the headlines makes us complicit.
The whole event was fascinating but, for me, Lucia Osborne-Crowley’s was the outstanding contribution. I’m off to buy her book and hope that in a small way, that will help to keep the story alive.
Featured Image: Edinburgh International Book Festival – provided by Festival PR.
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