Religion Media Festival: Interview with Channel 4 Journalist Cathy Newman

The Religion Media Festival 2025 opened with an interview by Roger Bolton with Channel 4 journalist Cathy Newman, who exposed the scandal of serial abuser John Smyth and the Church of England’s cover-up.

She spoke of the way she got the incredible story of Smyth’s ‘barbaric’ abuse, her editor’s immediate response to investigate, and her impressions of Justin Welby - overwhelmed by events, who was forced to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury over his handling of the case. The interview is an insight into how Channel 4 pieced together the story and how the Church of England responded.

The Religion Media Festival, held at Methodist Central Hall, London, on Monday 9 June 2025, was organised by the Religion Media Centre. We are a charity which aims to help journalists report religion by providing daily news bulletins, background briefings, factsheets and opportunities to network.

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Website: https://religionmediacentre.org.uk/
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/religion-media-centre/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCthZf6RVTqJki6oTQTB6qmw

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