The PPA-sponsored session of The Debating Group will tackle the motion “No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money” at the House of Commons on October 24.
The title of the debate is a quote attributed to Samuel Johnson, author of Dictionary of the English Language and a regular contributor to The Gentleman’s Magazine, which lays claim to being the first publication to use the word ‘magazine’ to refer to a periodical.
The motion will be supported by award-winning editor David Hepworth (pictured), who launched titles including Q, Empire and heat and is now Editorial Director of Development Hell, publishers of The Word magazine. Hepworth will be seconded by Gill Hudson, UK Editor-in-Chief of Reader's Digest and formerly Editor of magazines including Radio Times, Company and Eve.
On the other side of the debate will be Phil Hilton, Editorial Director of ShortList Media - the publisher of free weekly titles ShortList and Stylist - and Patrick Hayes, a reporter for spiked.
The debate will be chaired by Mike Weatherley MP, a vice-president of The Debating Group and Member of Parliament for Hove & Portslade. It is being supported by Air Business Group, a Strategic Partner of the PPA and a leading global distribution, fulfilment and integrated subscriptions management bureau.
Barry McIlheney, CEO of the PPA, said: “This debate is right at the heart of the changes facing the magazine publishing sector today and there are few people better placed than our speakers to articulate the complexity of the issues at play.
“I’m pleased that as one of the sponsor associations behind The Debating Group, the PPA has the chance to host these discussions at Westminster.”
Jonathan Middleton, Group Business Development and Marketing Director of Air Business, said: "Since becoming a Strategic Partner of the PPA over a year ago, Air Business has been committed to being more than just a supplier - as a visible, active and passionate supporter of the whole publishing community. As the sole supporter of the PPA's Westminster Debate we have extended further our commitment in support of addressing key issues facing our industry. The motion of the debate touches upon issues that will affect the future of publishing, so it’s great for us to be here at the forefront of this event facilitating the discussion of such an important issue. The PPA and The Debating Group have assembled all the necessary ingredients for a spirited debate and we are looking forward to hearing the speakers argue the merits of their respective positions."
About The Debating Group
The Debating Group says: “The Debating Group has been holding debates in the House of Commons since 1975. Its aim is to hold debates with an unpredictable outcome on contentious and contemporary political and social issues within the spheres of media and marketing. The President of The Debating Group is Austin Mitchell MP and the Chairman is David Hanger, Publisher and Chief Executive of Prospect magazine. The Debating Group is supported by twelve sponsoring organisations representing different media and marketing sectors.”
About PPA
The PPA says: “The PPA promotes and protects the interests of print and online publishers of consumer and business media in the UK. The PPA has around 200 publishing companies in its membership, which collectively produce more than 2,500 consumer and business magazines and journals as well as digital media, data products and events.”
About Air Business
Air Business says: “Air Business Group is the UK’s leading global distribution, fulfilment and integrated subscriptions management bureau, with a specialist focus on international and domestic despatch and delivery for the publishing sector. Air Business already has a vast amount of experience in the publishing sector, covering academic, education, health, media, across B2B and consumer publications. We work with leading publishers of all sizes and send many time-sensitive and non-time sensitive publications throughout the world. We are very proud of the accuracy of our mail monitoring systems and the quality of service we provide in physical distribution and customer experience.”
