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Dr Richard Danbury

Senior Lecturer in Journalism

School of Arts and Social Sciences Department of Journalism

Contact details

Address

Dr Richard Danbury AG20, College Building
City, University of London
Northampton Square
London EC1V 0HB
United Kingdom

About

Overview

Dr Danbury is an academic lawyer, a journalist and a former practicing barrister. He directs the MA in investigative journalism.

A long while ago, he practised -- briefly -- as a criminal barrister, before joining the BBC, where he worked for about a decade. He was based in news and current affairs, and specialised in interviews and investigations. He spent extended periods on programmes such as Newsnight and Panorama. His first job was as a researcher on the investigative documentary series Rough Justice, and his last staff job was as Deputy Editor of the 2010 BBC Prime Ministerial Debate. While at the BBC, he was part of teams that won two Royal Television Society Awards and a New York Festivals medal. He then went freelance, and has worked for Channel 4, Sky and ITN. Up until Sir Keir Starmer's leadership of Labour, he had produced interviews with just about every leader of a main UK political party since 2000. He has worked on TV coverage of the past six general elections.

He has coordinated Channel 4’s investigative journalism training scheme for the past seven years, and has been the BBC’s Advanced Legal Trainer for the past ten years. He is a member of the Scott Trust Review Panel, the organisation that deals with editorial complaints in relation to the Guardian's content.

His undergraduate degree is in philosophy from Cambridge University, and his doctorate in media law is from Oxford University, where his supervisor was the constitutional expert Professor Alison Young. He then undertook post-doctoral research back at Cambridge, into copyright and news, under Professors Lionel Bently (of Cambridge) and Ian Hargreaves (of Cardiff University). He continues to research in the area of international and comparative media law and freedom of speech law.

He is an expert at Columbia University's Global Freedom of Expression project. He has been a consultant for the Council of Europe and the International Senior Lawyers' Project in relation to teaching international freedom of expression law, to the Thomson Foundation in respect of practical international media law, and to the OSCE and the East-West Management Institute in relation to the teaching of journalism in Albania at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Qualifications

  1. D Phil, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
  2. M Stud, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
  3. Barrister, Inns of Court School of Law, United Kingdom
  4. Diploma in Law, College of Law, United Kingdom
  5. BA, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Employment

  1. Senior Lecturer, City, University of London, Sep 2019 – present
  2. Associate Professor, De Montfort University, Jan 2017 – Aug 2019
  3. Principal Lecturer, De Montfort University, Jan 2016 – Jan 2017
  4. Research Associate, University of Cambridge, Jan 2014 – Jan 2016
  5. Researcher, Ranking Digital Rights, Jan 2013 – Jan 2014
  6. Coordinator, Investigative Journalism Training Scheme, Channel 4, Jan 2013 – present
  7. Advanced Law Trainer, British Broadcasting Corporation (United Kingdom), Jan 2010 – present
  8. Producer, BBC, Jan 1999 – Jan 2010
  9. Pupil, then barrister (crime), 9-12 Bell Yard, Sep 1995 – Jan 1997
  10. Pupil barrister (general common law, professional negligence, family), 1 Crown Office Row, Oct 1994 – Aug 1995

Visiting appointments

  1. Associate, Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law, University of Cambridge, 2017 – present
  2. External Examiner (Freedom of Expression related papers), LLB and LLM, Edinburgh Law School, Edinburgh University, 2016 – present
  3. Visiting Lecturer, Freedom of Information, Information Law Paper, LLM, Cambridge University, 2015 – 2020

Fellowships

  1. Associate Research Fellow, Institute for Advanced Legal Studies, University of London, 2015 – present
  2. Journalist Fellow, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Oxford University, 2007

Memberships of committees

  1. Advisory Board, Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, Cambridge University, Jul 2020 – present
  2. Advisory Committee, Price Moot Court Competition, Oxford University, Jun 2019 – present
  3. Panel Member, Scott Trust Review Panel, 2017 – present

Memberships of professional organisations

  1. Academic Constituency, Global Network Initiative, Oct 2016 – present

Publications

Publications by category

Books (2)

  1. Danbury, R. and Stewart, A. (2005). The Inca Trail Cusco and Machu Picchu. Trail Blazer Publications. ISBN 978-1-873756-86-7.
  2. Graham, M. and Danbury, R. (1999). Rough Guide to Chile. Rough Guides.

Chapters (5)

  1. Danbury, R. (2021). The Role of audiences in television leaders’ debates and political journalism. In Morrison, J., Birks, J. and Berry, M. (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Political Journalism Routledge. ISBN 978-0-367-24822-2.
  2. Danbury, R. (2020). Freedom of Expression and Protecting Journalists’ Sources. In Bollinger, L. and Callamard, A. (Eds.), Regardless of Frontiers? Freedom of Expression and Information in the 21st Century New York, USA: Columbia University Press.
  3. Danbury, R. (2019). Investigative Journalism and Terrorism: the Proactive Legal Duty to Report. In Price, S. (Ed.), Investigative Journalism: Global Perspectives Routledge.
  4. Danbury, R. and Townend, J. (2019). Can You Keep a Secret? Legal and Technological Obstacles to Protecting Journalistic Sources. In Price, S. (Ed.), Investigative Journalism: Global Perspectives Routledge.
  5. Danbury, R. (2017). Where Should Speech Be Free? Placing Liberal Theories of Free Speech in a Wider Context. In Price, M. and Stremlau, N. (Eds.), Speech and Society in Turbulent Times (pp. 171–191). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-316-99685-0.

Internet publications (13)

  1. Danbury, R. (2021). Journalistic Independence, the BBC and the Government of the Day. Verfassungsblog.
  2. Danbury, R. (2021). The DSM Copyright Directive: Article 15: What? – Part II. Kluwer Copyright Blog.
  3. Danbury, R. (2021). The DSM Copyright Directive: Article 15: Why and Why Not? – Part I. Kluwer Copyright Blog.
  4. Danbury, R. (2020). The BBC and Henry VIII’s Heirs. Verfassungsblog.
  5. Danbury, R. (2020). Is the UK Government Undermining the BBC? Verfassungsblog.
  6. Danbury, R. (2018). Knowledge isn’t power: knowledge helps you flourish. Information Law and Policy Centre, School of Advanced Study, University of London.
  7. Danbury, R. (2018). Cliff Richard and Private Investigations. UK Constitutional Law Association.
  8. Danbury, R. and Townend, J. (2017). Trump is right: stories will dry up if the press can’t use anonymous sources. The Conversation.
  9. Danbury, R. (2016). Copyright and the News in the EU. Center for Global Communication Studies, Annenberg, University of Pennslyvania.
  10. Danbury, R. (2016). Is an EU publishers’ right a good idea? Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law, University of Cambridge.
  11. Danbury, R., Bently, L. and Hargreaves, I. (2016). Copyright and news project (2014-16). Centre for Intellectual Property and Information Law, University of Cambridge.
  12. Danbury, R. (2014). Can Copyright Save News? And Should it? Centre for Global Communication Studies, Annenberg, University of Pennsylvania.
  13. Danbury, R. (2007). Can I Really Report That? The Decline of Contempt of Court. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Oxford University.

Journal articles (2)

  1. Danbury, R. (2021). Why Article 15 of the Directive on Copyright in the Single Digital Market is a bad idea. (Opinion). European Intellectual Property Review, 2021(11), pp. 695–697.
  2. Danbury, R. The EU’s Press Publisher’s Right is too broad. What can be done about it? European Intellectual Property Review, Forthcoming.

Report

  1. Townend, J. and Danbury, R. (2017). Protecting Sources and Whistleblowers in a Digital Age. London: Information Law and Policy Centre, Institute for Advanced Legal Studies, University of London.

Professional activities

Consultancy (6)

  1. Council of Europe, Serbia (Nov 2020 – Jan 2021)
    International Consultant (Law). Preparing materials on the Council of Europe's hard and soft law on judicial communication to the media.
  2. OSCE (Public Sector) (Feb 2020 – present)
    Senior International Expert (Journalism teaching), advising the University of Tirana on their undergraduate degree course.
  3. Council of Europe (Public Sector) (Jun 2019 – present)
    Pool of Consultants (Freedom of Expression) for the Project with the Constitutional Court of Kosovo
  4. International Senior Lawyers' Project (Public Sector) (Apr 2019)
    International Freedom of Expression Law trainer
  5. East-West Management Institute (Public Sector) (Feb 2019 – Jan 2020)
    Consultant (Journalism). Advising the University of Tirana on the development of an MA in investigative journalism.
  6. Global Network Initiative (Private Sector) (Oct 2016 – present)
    Academic Member

Radio programme

  1. Men's Hour. BBC Radio 5 Live Series Producer, Executive Producer

Television programmes (17)

  1. Live: Britain’s Next PM – The C4 Debate. Channel 4 Consultant Producer
  2. Channel 4 Election Night Programme. Channel 4 Producer (Paxman)
  3. The Battle for Number 10. Sky and Channel 4 Producer (Paxman)
  4. Europe: the final debate. Channel 4 Consulting Executive Producer
  5. The Battle for Number 10. Sky and Channel 4 Producer (Paxman)
  6. The EU Debate. BBC2 Co-deputy Editor
  7. BBC World Debate. BBC World News Producer
  8. Prime Ministerial Debate. BBC1 Deputy Editor
  9. Newsnight. BBC2 Producer
  10. Panorama. Assistant Producer
  11. Happiness Formula. BBC2 Producer
  12. The Paxman Interviews. BBC1 Producer
  13. Mark Lawson Talks to... BBC4 Producer
  14. Newsnight. BBC2 Broadcast Journalist
  15. Rough Justice. BBC1 Researcher
  16. Crimewatch. BBC1 Researcher
  17. Trial By Jury. BBC2 Researcher