Bravery is rare in British journalism these days. Compared to trailblazing colleagues like Maria Ressa in the Philippines or the 67 journalists currently imprisoned in China, the risks we take are pathetically small.
However, one person shortlisted for this year’s Orwell Prize for Journalism stands out – if not for bravery, then at least for badly-needed audacity and precision. And for delivering uncomfortable truths that the powerful don’t want to hear.
Peter Oborne is nominated this year for three pieces published by openDemocracy during the bitter struggle over Brexit. His first, ‘I was a strong Brexiteer, now we must swallow our pride and think again’, details his painful decision to switch sides in the toxic war which defines our recent political history, and will shape our future.
