Bromley College staff, students and the general public came to hear a talk by News Shopper editor Andrew Parkes last Wednesday (March 12).

Andy, a journalist for 26 years and group managing editor for 15 south London newspapers and 11 websites, talked about his experiences of the good, bad and ugly sides of the newspaper world.

Speaking at Bromley College's campus in Rookery Lane, he said, due to staff cuts in newsrooms, reporters now attend fewer court proceedings, adding "this can threaten that most important principle, that justice is not only done, but is seen to be done".

He commented it can also lead to a general lack of understanding from the public as to what goes on in court.

The permanence of the internet was also discussed by Andy. 

He explained how he is often asked to remove old news stories from the newspaper's website about people who, later on in life, find the articles detrimentally affect their employment and life prospects.  

Andrew shared details of his own career, and gave an insight into what it takes to be a journalist in today’s society.

Principal Sam Parrett said: "We were thrilled to welcome Andrew Parkes as our guest speaker at our sixth Landmark Lecture.

His informative and entertaining lecture gave the audience a real insight into the world of journalism and newspapers, raising some important questions on press regulation and the use of the internet in modern news reporting."

Bromley College’s Landmark Lectures are a series of topical talks open to the public.