Tag Archives: London Development Agency

Legacy problems for Olympics media centre?

News from Estates Gazette’s Paul Norman

that Tom Russell, London Development Agency group director of Olympic Legacy, has left his job after just over a year.

Not the usual Journalism.co.uk territory you might think. But it seems Russell was heavily involved in the ‘legacy’ plans for the Olympic media centre.

“Russell it seems has been fighting the corner for idea that the media centre ought to be built to a high enough standard to attract media occupiers to Hackney Wick post Games,” writes Norman.

When Journalism.co.uk attended an event about new media, Beijing and the London Olympics last year, some pretty impressive plans for the media centre were brought out. Among the journalism/media union representatives in the audience, however, the size and temporary nature of some parts of the building were challenged.

Indeed, it seems some aspects of the design may have been scaled back since this event in October – as Norman writes:

“Potential tenants looking at the space from the media world and Hackney council are all understood to be concerned that in its haste to get the building completed the ODA has jettisoned important design features and by implication the legacy impact of what after all was intended as the main jobs driver post-Games.”

We’re off to the investigative Oscars tonight: follow us live

Tonight is the pinnacle of the investigative and campaigning journalism year, when one (or three in last year’s case) journalists walk away with the prestigious Paul Foot Award, which rewards the best of campaigning journalism.

We’ll do our utmost (dongle/Wifi/mobile signal permitting) to Twitter the proceedings: follow us @journalism_live.

Nominations this year:

  • Richard Brooks of Private Eye – for his articles investigating the government’s involvement with fund management company Actis
  • Camilla Cavendish of The Times – for a series of pieces and a campaign against miscarriages of justice carried out under the Children’s Act 1989
  • Andrew Gilligan of the Evening Standard – for his investigation into financial irregularities at London’s City Hall and the London Development Agency
  • Warwick Mansell of The Times Educational Supplement – for his work on the SATS test marking scandal and educational opposition to the government’s league table system for schools
  • Dan McDougall of The Observer – for investigating child labour in South Asia, particularly that perpetrated by clothing retailers Esprit, Primark and Gap Inc
  • Jim Oldfield of Rossington Community Newsletter, South Yorkshire Newspapers – for coverage of opposition to the proposed construction of an ‘eco-town’ in Rossington