Alan Rusbridger

Alan Rusbridger was Editor in Chief of The Guardian from 1995–2015. He was Principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford (2021–25) and Chair of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. During his time at the Guardian, both he and the paper won numerous awards, including the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service Journalism. The Guardian grew from a printed paper with a circulation of 400,000 to a leading digital news organisation with 150m browsers a month around the world. He launched now-profitable editions in Australia and the US as well as a membership scheme which now has 1m Guardian readers paying for content. 

Alan was born in Zambia, was educated at Cambridge and lives in Oxford and London. He is the co-author of the BBC drama, Fields of Gold. He is a keen amateur musician and the author of Play it Again. His memoir of journalism and its future, Breaking News, was published in 2018. 

He is a member of the Facebook Oversight Board. His latest book, News and How to Use It, was published in 2020. He edited Prospect magazine from 2021–2025 and co-presented the Media Confidential podcast with Lionel Barber, former editor of the Financial Times. 

His honorary degrees include doctorates from Oslo University, the Open University and Trinity College Dublin. He has given keynote lectures around Europe, Australia, India, the US and UK. In the UK he has given the Orwell Lecture, the James Cameron Lecture, the Geddes Lecture in Oxford, and the Anthony Sampson Lecture.