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When James Cameron died in 1986, a Trust was set up in his memory to award an annual prize to a journalist whose work in the previous year had been "in the Cameron tradition". An annual memorial lecture was also established.

The James Cameron Memorial Lecture has been delivered by a distinguished group of speakers including:

  • Ben Bradlee
  • Michael Grade
  • Alan Rusbridger
  • Tony Benn
  • Greg Dyke
  • Sir Max Hastings.

More recently these have included:

  • Christine Ockrent
  • Jeremy Bowen
  • Robert Peston
  • Gary Younge
  • Gideon Rachman
  • Lyse Doucet
  • Lionel Barber.

While the lecture continues to commemorate James Cameron, after many years of recognising the achievements of outstanding international journalists at the height of their careers, the focus of the prize giving changed this year.

There was one prize, the Eric Robins Prize, given in memory of the correspondent for Time who was expelled from Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1966 when it was under white (minority) rule.

This was awarded to a recent City Journalism graduate who has, during their time at City, showed the potential to be a great journalist of the future.

The prize was generously donated by Eric Robins’ partner Marion Kaplan.

The 2023  James Cameron Memorial Lecture with Dorothy Byrne

The 2023 lecture, "Politicians and Journalists - Best of Enemies, was given by  Dorothy Byrne on 13 December 2023.

Dorothy Byrne is the President of Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge and was the Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel Four Television for seventeen years.

About the 2023 event

The 2022 James Cameron Memorial Lecture with Clive Myrie

The 2022 lecture,  Journalism – A noble profession, was given by Clive Myrie on 23 November 2022.

Clive Myrie is a Presenter and the BBC’s Chief Correspondent.

About the 2022 event

James Cameron: A BBC documentary

Watch a 1984 BBC TV documentary in which James Cameron reviews and reassesses his career as a journalist and broadcaster.

'Once upon a time'. Broadcast on BBC 2 in 1984. James Cameron (1911-1985) was a prominent British journalist, in whose memory the annual James Cameron Memorial Lecture is given.