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Creative Licence – the case for a bold BBC under George Entwistle

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(C) R/DV/RS

The BBC today announced that its Director of Vision, George Entwistle, has been appointed as its new Director-General. The man he will replace in the role, Mark Thompson, has not had an easy eight-year tenure. All manner of controversies – from outrageous comedians to erroneously-named cats – have provoked gleeful tabloid furore, some of which may have contributed in 2010 to the freezing of the licence fee for six years at the government’s behest.

Continue reading “Creative Licence – the case for a bold BBC under George Entwistle” →

What she never thought she’d see

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Published on the barackobama.com blog

Successful presidential campaigns are built from the ground up—perhaps more literally than you might think. While it may have seemed like a small contribution at first when Dr. Marie Metoyer brought folding chairs to our Manchester office, these chairs are helping us hold ever-larger phone banks here in the Queen City. And Marie’s contribution to the campaign doesn’t stop there. Continue reading “What she never thought she’d see” →

The 2012 Presidential Election – book review

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Published on The Vibe.

I’m currently in New Hampshire, so this week I bore witness to one of the more extraordinary spectacles in the modern political world: the New Hampshire primary. Every four years, candidates from one or both of the main American parties head to the state to fight for their party’s nomination. New Hampshire is a north-eastern state, usually frozen over at this time of year, but its small population (42nd in the Union) and geographic size (46th) should not belie its importance in choosing presidents. New Hampshire proudly lays claim to being the first in the nation to hold its primary contest every four years (this is in fact prescribed in state law), and the state’s residents tend to take this role very seriously. Continue reading “The 2012 Presidential Election – book review” →

2012 Olympics: Another East End Soap Opera?

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Published on The Vibe.

For a number of mornings in the past week, the nation woke up feeling disappointment and then despair, as riots spread across the capital and other British cities. In precisely one year’s time, Britons will also wake up feeling rather flat, but for wholly different reasons. 13th August 2012 is the ‘morning after’ the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games, to be held in London. Continue reading “2012 Olympics: Another East End Soap Opera?” →

Master Statesman or An Idiot Abroad?

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Published in Exepose. 

DEPENDING on your political perspective, for good or ill the first six months of the coalition government have been defined by economic issues. The Great Recession may have been global in scope, but it has forced countries to turn inward, to focus on deficits and levels of
unemployment.

Continue reading “Master Statesman or An Idiot Abroad?” →

Time for Tea in the USA?

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Published in Exepose.

On November 2 Americans will head to the polls and vote in a series of congressional, state and local elections. These midterm elections are so-called because they fall half way through a President’s four year term. Therefore, one name that will definitely not be on any ballot paper is Barack Obama. Such is the continuing media and public fascination with the man that the elections are being considered a referendum on the President’s first two years in office. I have to conclude, having spent eight weeks working on a Senate race this summer, that American elections and these ones in particular are about so much more than the incumbent of the Oval Office. Continue reading “Time for Tea in the USA?” →

Blowing Up Politics in the 21st Century

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Published on the Power2010 website.

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Blowing Up Politics in the 21st Century – Plymouth and Exeter

04.05.2010 // by Josh Cowls

In my first week collecting signatures and canvassing opinion for Power2010, I was struck by the levels of disillusionment with politicians. Asked whether they wanted to help clean up politics, a common response was “Guy Fawkes had it right!” Continue reading “Blowing Up Politics in the 21st Century” →

The News Cycle and my Sleep Cycle

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One of my quirks is my need to have rolling news radio such as BBC Five Live on in the background as I’m falling asleep and when I wake up. It’s now quite habitual so, as with most habits, it goes largely unquestioned, but while it has kept me precociously informed for well over a decade now (the first news story I can remember being covered is the NATO air strikes of Bosnia) this unabating audible addiction has its drawbacks. For although news radio probably filled the psychological and vocal void left when I was too old to be read bedtime stories, rolling news and fairy tales quite obviously share little in common. Continue reading “The News Cycle and my Sleep Cycle” →

Josh Cowls

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Welcome to my website.

I’m a doctoral researcher based at the Alan Turing Institute and the Oxford Internet Institute, exploring the ethical and political impact of data and AI on society.

My past research has included work on digital politics, big and open data, state surveillance and the use of web archives in research.