As part of its annual commemorative programme of events this year, the Bloody Sunday March Committee will host an ‘In Conversation’ event in Derry’s Playhouse on Friday, January 31stwith Channel 4 News, Chief Correspondent, Alex Thomson. He’ll be in conversation with none other than our own Eamonn McCann. What these two men don’t know about Bloody Sunday is not from want of trying to find out. Eamonn won the 2011 Amnesty International Media Award for his reporting in the Belfast Telegraph and elsewhere on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.
Alex Thomson is the longest-serving on-screen journalist on Channel 4 News and has been with the channel since it began.
In more than 25 years he’s covered over 20 wars; led major investigations and he continues to front the programme around the world today.
His journalism has won several BAFTA and EMMY awards; two New York Film and TV awards and in 2011/12 he was named TV Journalist of the year by the Royal Television Society.
Admission: £5
Booking: The Playhouse Box Office on 028 71 268027.
Its open from 10.30am – 5.30pm Monday to Friday and 10am – 4pm on Saturdays. Its also open 45 minutes before the performance. Book in advance not to be disappointed
The BSMC’s thoughts on the significance of Alex Thomson’s work
“We are delighted and honoured to have Alex Thomson participate in our programme this year. Alex has been one of the few journalists down through the years who has worked tirelessly to get to the truth about what happened here on Bloody Sunday.
Alex Thomson and Channel 4 News produced some of the most seminal and highly influential reports into the events of Bloody Sunday and his work contributed greatly to people’s understanding about the actions of the British army here that day.
More recently he has covered the inquest into the killings of 11 people in Ballymurphy by the Paras and focused on the person of General Mike Jackson and in particular the part he played in what happened in Ballymurphy in August 1971 and the events here in Derry on Bloody Sunday, just 5 months later.
Beyond his significance for our local context Alex’s reporting has consistently been on the side of truth seeking, getting beneath the ‘what‘ to prod at the ‘why‘ of the many major stories of significant public interest he has covered. In just the last few months and weeks we have seen him covering major stories of climate catastrophe across our our world, from how Greenland is polluting itself to the apocalyptic bush fires raging across Australia.
So it is for all of these reasons and more that our committee is delighted to welcome Alex back to Derry. For what Channel 4 and his reporting has done for justice in regard to Bloody Sunday alone, let alone Ballymurphy, and other man made atrocities throughout the world he deserves a packed house. Don’t miss this unique chance to give him a direct sense of how we value his work and to give him a big Derry welcome.”