Carole Cadwalladr is the latest name to be announced as one of the speakers at GWLAD: Future Wales Festival.
The award-winning investigative journalist will give a talk in the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, on Sunday 29 September at 2.00pm, in a session held in conjunction with festival partners Hay Festival.
Carole Cadwalladr is a features writer for the Observer and previously worked for The Daily Telegraph. She rose to prominence in 2018 for uncovering the Facebook/Cambridge Analytics data scandal, the story of which has since been documented in the Netflix series, The Great Hack, and has delivered several TED talks on the subject.
Carole Cadwalladr grew up in Cardiff, where she attended Radyr Comprehensive School in Cardiff, before studying in Hertford College at Oxford University.
GWLAD: Future Wales Festival is held on 25-29 September and aims to spark a conversation about the future of Wales from the perspective of a wide range of topics; from journalism and the media, to culture, sport, equality and diversity, politics and language.
Containing ‘in conversation’ and debate session, speeches, comedy, music and art, GWLAD is held as part of a programme of events to mark 20 years of devolution. Free tickets are available to order now, on the GWLAD festival website www.devolution20.wales/gwlad Some sessions will be recorded for viewing online.
Elin Jones AM, Llywydd of the National Assembly for Wales said: “We’re grateful to Hay Festival, as one of our many festival partners, for their contribution to GWLAD. Carole Cadwalladr joins the dozens of voices which will be heard across over 20 sessions during the five-day festival, where, among many other topics, we will be exploring the future of journalism in the digital age and the impact of fake news. As we mark 20 years of devolution, I’m sure Carole’s talk will give us plenty food for thought.”
Carole Cadwalladr took part in this year’s Hay Festival in May, where she was also awarded the 2019 Hay Festival Medal of Journalism. It adds to her growing collection of accolades which also includes the prestigious Orwell Prize and the Reporters Without Borders Award.
Peter Florence, director of Hay Festival, said: "Carole Cadwalladr won the 2019 Hay Festival Medal for Journalism for her heroic attention to the abuses of democracy. She’s a guardian of good faith and vigilance, of the fundamental press freedoms in a modern state, and of the need to hold all our systems of governance to account. We are thrilled to hear her 20th anniversary lecture."
Journalism under the GWLAD spotlight
In the GWLAD schedule, the role of journalists and journalism will come under the spotlight in several sessions. They include a discussion on the future of journalism by posing the question ‘Do We Need Journalists?’, with Channel 4 News correspondent Ciaran Jenkins, Seren Jones of BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4, and BBC Newsbeat’s Steffan Powell.
Other sessions will explore Fake News Media with former journalist Guto Harri, Ruth Mosalski Political Editor at Media Wales, Prof Laura McAllister from the Wales Governance Centre; James Williams, BBC Political Correspondent and Fay Jones of Public Affairs Cymru.
The entire festival schedule and free tickets are available online at: www.devolution20.wales/gwlad