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Friday Lecture: Fiona Laurent - "A politician, journalist and PR walk into a bar. The bartender says, 'what is this, a stitch-up?'"

Everything I didn't know about what I was getting myself into as a press officer for a major news programme and controversial politician – by former Press Officer for Boris Johnson and for Channel 4 News, Fiona Laurent.

Info about event

Time

Friday 28 October 2022,  at 14:00 - 16:00

Location

Peter Bøgh Auditorium, Finlandsgade 23, 8200 Aarhus N (Nygaard building)

FIONA LAURENT, BIOG:

After the best part of a decade moving from in-house to agency press and PR roles and back to in-house again, I joined the Channel Four News team at Independent Television News (ITN) in London. I stayed put. I worked for six years as their only Channel Four News press officer. I was promoted to senior press and publicity manager and became a key member of the senior management team. I had found my fit.


But it was a burnout job and eventually I looked for a move where I could join a team of people doing the same thing as me. Or so I thought. I joined the Greater London Authority (GLA) as Deputy Head of Media. My role was non-political, and I was employed to promote the successful policies of an organisation designed to improve the lives of Londoners and help manage a team of press officers employed to do the same thing.


The incumbent Mayor was Boris Johnson. His – then - likeability was on the ascent and his personal and political standing was our biggest asset. Yet I was there to promote and protect the reputation of London and Londoners, not a politician passing through. It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be…