Martin Bell – "the man in the white suit" – is a British institution. Just as Walter Cronkite was “the most trusted man in American,” so Martin Bell represents journalistic integrity and straight-talking to several generations of Britons.
PRLog - Oct. 23, 2013 - KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Martin Bell, OBE, one of the best-known and most highly regarded names in British television journalism, will present a compelling lecture in Kansas City describing his life, his war experiences, the experience of being a British politician and his books. The English-Speaking Union of Kansas City and the KC Public Library, Plaza Branch, are co-sponsoring this free lecture on Wednesday, November 6, 2013, at 6:00 PM at the Plaza Branch of the KC Public Library. The ESU welcomes Mr. Bell to Kansas City as part of the ESU's Evelyn Wrench Lecture Series.
Just as Walter Cronkite was "the most trusted man in American," so Martin Bell represents journalistic integrity and straight-talking to several generations of Britons. Martin Bell – "the man in the white suit" – is a British institution. He has been many things – an icon of BBC war reporting, Britain's first independent MP for 50 years, a UNICEF ambassador, a staunch supporter of rights for the armed forces, and a tireless campaigner for honesty and accountability in politics.
Born in Suffolk, Martin Bell received a First Class Honours degree in English from King’s College, Cambridge. In 1962 he joined the BBC as a reporter in Norwich and three years later moved to London to begin a distinguished career as a foreign affairs correspondent. Over the next 30 years he covered 18 conflicts and reported from 100 countries, including Vietnam, the Middle East, Nigeria, Angola, Northern Ireland, Nicaragua and Bosnia where he was wounded by shrapnel in 1992. He won the Royal Television Society’s Reporter of the Year award in 1977 and 1993, and was honored with an OBE in 1992. In 1997, Mr. Bell left the BBC to become the first independent Member of Parliament since 1951. He served until 2001 and while he did not serve again in Parliament, he continues to be active politically and to promote independent candidates. In 2003 he returned to television to provide analysis of the invasion of Iraq. He currently serves as an ambassador for UNICEF.
Mr. Bell's lecture, titled, "Conflicts, Politics and Poetry" covers a wide range of topics about his career as a British BBC journalist, a Member of the British Parliament and a distinguished author of several books including Through Gates of Fire, An Accidental MP, and In Harm's Way. His most recent book, For Whom the Bell Tolls, reveals he's also a talented poet of light verse and here Bell's poems continue his war by other means on duplicitous politicians, our all-consuming media, the venality of celebrity culture and much more. Mr. Bell will be available for signing autographs on selected books after the lecture.
When: Wednesday, November 6, 2013, Reception at 6:00 pm, Lecture at 6:30 pm
Where: Kansas City Public Library Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St. Kansas City, Mo.
Cost: Free Admission and free parking adjacent to library
RSVP: This is a free lecture; however, the Plaza Library requests RSVPs: https://www.kclibrary.org/rsvp/21548
English-Speaking Union
The English-Speaking Union of the United States is a non-profit, non-political, educational organization whose mission is to celebrate English as a shared language and to foster global understanding and good will by providing educational and cultural opportunities for students, educators and members. Headquartered in New York City, the ESU US implements programs through a network of 70 branches across the United States. ESU members nationwide participate in educational, cultural and social events and provide financial support to sustain our educational programs at the branch and national levels. Members attend branch events, host visiting speakers and scholars in their communities, volunteer to coordinate branch participation in our ESU National Shakespeare Competition and scholarship and exchange programs. For more information on the ESU, go to www.esuus.org/kansascity. For Kansas City membership information, email kansascity@esuus.org.
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Martin Bell, Distinguished British Journalist, Politician and Poet to Speak in Kansas City
October 23, 2013 at 13:28 PM EDT
