Jeremy Bowen: Truth Under Fire - The Royal Hall

Gaza. Ukraine. Syria. Sudan. Yemen. The world is facing more armed conflicts than at any point in decades, and Jeremy Bowen has reported from the centre of nearly all of them.

As the BBC’s International Editor, Jeremy has spent over 40 years covering more than 90 countries and 20 wars. From El Salvador in 1989 to the frontlines today, he has interviewed world leaders, documented war crimes, been shot at and survived to tell the stories.

But something has changed. Israel imposes restrictions on foreign journalists from entering Gaza. Russia controls the narrative in occupied Ukraine. Governments from Syria to Sudan restrict access, manipulate information and discredit reporters who contradict official accounts. In the age of social media, competing claims flood our screens, but who is telling the truth? And how do we know?

Jeremy has spent his career fighting for access, verifying what others want hidden, and bearing witness when governments would rather the world look away. He will explain how the battle for truth is being waged, why press freedom is collapsing in conflict zones, and what it means when the first casualty of war is not just truth, but those trying to report it.

In the second half, audiences will have the chance to put their questions to a journalist who has made it his life’s work to get as close to the truth as possible-even when that truth is dangerous, disputed or under fire.

An essential evening for anyone who wants to understand the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.