National Media Museum hosts memorable night
It may only be October yet Snow has already been seen in Bradford this month – acclaimed journalist and broadcaster, Jon Snow that is.
The Channel 4 news presenter visited the city on Friday 9th October as he addressed a packed audience at the National Media Museum.
Hosted by the Muslim Women’s Council through its Bradford Circle programme, an initiative aimed at raising the level of dialogue, discourse and debate by attracting high profile speakers to Bradford, the event was deemed a huge success by organisers.
Opening with clips of Jon’s reporting of the news through the decades, the famed journalist discussed different parts of the world he has reported from and covered topics from global events to domestic issues.
He said the one person he would like to interview, who he has not yet interviewed is Barack Obama. He interviewed Margaret Thatcher twenty times, and according to Jon they were his worst interviews.
Jon Snow was joined on stage by Bana Gora, CEO of Muslim Women’s Council and Professor Lord Kamlesh Patel of Bradford OBE whose questions ranged from Jon Snow’s Cannabis Experiment to his charity work with homeless young people.
The floor was then opened up to the audience, with a range of questions covering representation of Muslims in the media to careers advice for budding journalists.
Speaking after the event, Jon said: “I shall never forget my amazing evening with the Muslim Women’s Council at the National Media Museum. The audience was one of the most stimulating, engaged, energised, inspiring groups I have ever addressed.
“The questions and the discourse were informed, interesting and rewarding. It was wonderful that there were so many students and young people present. Who knew that Bradford was the centre of such intellect, such compassion, such commitment.
“The range in our conversation covered the world. I pay tribute to Bana Gora and her team for organising an event that drew not only Muslim women, but a good few men and people from other communities. My only regret is that I live and work so far from Bradford. But be warned, I shall be back.”
Professor Lord Patel of Bradford OBE added “I was honoured to be part of an informative, entertaining and engaging evening at Bradford’s landmark National Media Museum.
“It is a credit to the MWC that they not only attracted such a high calibre individual, in the form of Jon Snow to Bradford for the evening; but they also attracted a diverse and eclectic audience, who were, from the start, engaged, lively and energetic.”
