The Sir Tom Hopkinson Lecture 2026

Join us for the second Sir Tom Hopkinson lecture, which will be delivered by Rachel Corp, Chief Executive Officer of ITN.

Rachel oversees one of the UK’s largest independent production companies. Under Rachel’s leadership, ITN continues to innovate across linear, digital and social, combining bespoke, original journalism for three separate newsrooms, but with shared infrastructure, technology and non-competitive content.

Prior to becoming CEO, Rachel was Editor of ITV News, leading celebrated exclusive and original reporting in the UK and globally. She is a prominent advocate for high-quality, impartial and trusted news, the unique role of British public service media, and the continued prominence of news in a non-linear world. She is passionate about reaching new and underserved audiences on and off screen and is Chair of Women in Journalism.

Celebrating Sir Tom’s contributions and achievements
Sir Tom was a pioneer in journalism education. After many years as an editor, which included publishing the first photographs of South Africa’s Sharpeville massacre, he founded the Centre for Journalism Studies in Cardiff. He powerfully advocated journalism’s function in a democratic society, saying, “A free press is the most watchful sentry of the state. A ‘yes’ press is fatal to good government”. The lecture series named in his honour explores themes related to media and democracy.