Speakers

BBC News Presenter Ros Atkins has been labelled 'Explainer-in-Chief' and ‘The Facts Man’. His video explainer format has become a global phenomenon with huge audiences on social media and on the BBC's digital, TV and radio channels. The Sunday Times credited Ros with 'inventing a new genre of reporting'. His show Ros Atkins On The Week, on BBC One and iPlayer, is a deep-dive analysis into the key stories of the week, weaving together common themes. Drawing on video evidence, data, documents, and interviews gathered, Ros establishes the facts to combat the ever-rising tide of disinformation and fake news. He’s the creator and presenter of Outside Source, which simulcasts in primetime on BBC News Channel in the UK, and on BBC World News. The programme is known for its in-depth explanation and analysis. He also co-presents The Media Show on BBC Radio 4. Ros is the founder of the 50:50 Project. He started it in the BBC newsroom to support diverse representation in the BBC’s journalism. 50:50 now works across all BBC content, and the organisation has talked of how it’s ‘unleashed a surge of creativity and innovation’ and delivered a ‘transformation’ that is ‘long-term and sustainable’. Outside of the BBC, 50:50 has grown into a global initiative with over a hundred and thirty organisations in over thirty countries taking part from a variety of sectors. London Business School and Harvard Kennedy School have produced two studies looking at how Ros started the project and how he passed on the leadership of it. A former DJ, Ros compiled a drum and bass mix for BBC Radio 6 Music, which went viral and led to widespread press coverage. He has made several documentaries including one that examined the relationship between tourist and host in Cornwall, Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas, the three places he spent his childhood. In his book The Art of Explanation: How to Communicate with Clarity and Confidence, Ros shares the secrets he has learned from working in high-pressure newsrooms and identifies the ten