Jeremy Paxman to Deliver MacTaggart Lecture at MGEITF

LONDON, May 14: The MediaGuardian Edinburgh International
Television Festival (MGEITF), which will take place from August 24 to 26, has
tapped broadcast journalist Jeremy Paxman, the longest serving presenter on BBC
Newsnight, to deliver this year’s
MacTaggart Lecture.

This year’s MacTaggart Lecture will take place on August 24.
It was inaugurated in 1976 in memory of the acclaimed writer and director James
MacTaggart. Past MacTaggart speakers include Dennis Potter, Michael Grade,
Rupert Murdoch, Janet Street-Porter, Ted Turner, Peter Bazalgette, Greg Dyke,
David Liddiment, Mark Thompson, Tony Ball, John Humphrys, Lord Birt and Charles
Allen.

Jeremy Paxman is the longest serving presenter on BBC
Newsnight, where he has worked since 1989. He began his journalistic career in
Northern Ireland, moving on to become a reporter for Tonight and then spending five years on Panorama. He also spent four years presenting Start
the Week on Radio Four and has chaired University
Challenge since 1994.