How journalists report 'the future'

Media stories about the future seem to veer from wild technology forecasts ( "Welcome to tomorrow's world ... where robots have rights and the moon is just another holiday destination") to predictions of doom ( "Obesity is as serious a threat as climate change" ). Journalists are continually confronted by a flood of future visions and scenarios advanced by technology companies, brands, special interest groups, think tanks and politicians. So how do they cope? A Media Society event on Wednesday evening, Reporting the future , is aimed at trying to answer that question. The panellists will include Bryan Appleyard, Charles Leadbeater, Catherine Mayer and Gill Brown. It will be chaired by Melanie Howard, of the Future Foundation. The discussion kicks off at 6.30pm on 23 November at Reed Smith, in Broadgate Tower, Liverpool Street, London. To book a place, contact [email protected]