GAVIN MACFADYEN
GAVIN MACFADYEN is a Visiting Professor at City University and the Director of the Centre for Investigative Journalism, an international training charity. He has been a Senior producer-director of many World in Action, Channel 4 Dispatches, BBC’s Fine Cut, 24 Hours, Panorama, The Money Programme, Multi Cultural Birmingham, PBS Frontline programmes from 1970 to the present. He addressed the Positive Action Group (PAG) on the IOM on October 2nd, 2007.
The You Tube video link below contains his assessments of some of the issues he encounted during his visit to the Isle of Man.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vmAF2gYKGfY
In the interview Gavin remarks on the enthusiasm for change that he found. The concern for open government, accountability, secrecy issues and the lack of a Freedom of Information Act. He notes the sad similarity of certain aspects on the Isle of Man with Burundi and Kenya. He compares the frustrations felt on the Isle of Man in respect of financial secrecy in both commercial and government dealings and highlights that the same arguments are used by dictatorships in S.E. Asia and Latin America. He urges local journalists to stand up and fight; to ask real questions and recounts that in private he was told that the Government intervenes in the journalism process as they are a major contributor.