# Frontline Club

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{{Short description|Media club in London, England}}
{{Promotional|date=November 2024}}

thumb|upright=1.2|The exterior of the Frontline Club building

'''The Frontline Club''' is a media club and [registered charity](/source/Charitable_organization) co-founded by Vaughan and Pranvera Smith, located near [Paddington Station](/source/Paddington_Station) in [London](/source/London). With a strong emphasis on conflict reporting, it aims to champion independent [journalism](/source/journalism), provide an effective platform from which to support diversity and professionalism in the media, promote safe practice, and encourage both [freedom of the press](/source/freedom_of_the_press) and [freedom of expression](/source/freedom_of_expression) worldwide.

Since opening its doors in 2003, Frontline Club has hosted over 1,200 events {{Until when?|date=November 2024}}. Its founders do not receive wages and the events programme is almost self-sustaining, mainly from membership fees and ticket income.

The largest event hosted by the co-founders was on the Impact of Wikileaks, with [Julian Assange](/source/Julian_Assange) and [Slavoj Zizek](/source/Slavoj_Zizek), moderated by [Amy Goodman](/source/Amy_Goodman), [Democracy Now](/source/Democracy_Now). <br> Discussions, held most weekday evenings, are broadcast live. Past participants include [John Simpson](/source/John_Simpson_(journalist)), [Robert Fisk](/source/Robert_Fisk), [Jeremy Paxman](/source/Jeremy_Paxman), [Tim Hetherington](/source/Tim_Hetherington), [Nick Robinson](/source/Nick_Robinson_(journalist)), [David Aaronovitch](/source/David_Aaronovitch), [Alan Rusbridger](/source/Alan_Rusbridger), [Jeremy Bowen](/source/Jeremy_Bowen), [Louis Theroux](/source/Louis_Theroux),<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-01-27|title='I've always seen myself as a journalist' - Louis Theroux on his style, work and drive {{!}} Online Journalism Features|url=https://www.journalism.co.uk/news-features/-i-ve-always-seen-myself-as-a-journalist--louis-theroux-on-his-style-work-and-drive/s5/a533342/|access-date=2021-08-03 |website=[Journalism.co.uk](/source/Journalism.co.uk)}}</ref> [Gillian Tett](/source/Gillian_Tett),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://frontlineclub.com/events/2009/07/insight-with-gillian-tett-scaremongerer-no-more.html |title=Time Change - Insight with Gillian Tett: Scaremongerer no more |year=2009 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101216023719/http://frontlineclub.com/events/2009/07/insight-with-gillian-tett-scaremongerer-no-more.html |accessdate=2010-08-13 |url-status=dead |archivedate=2010-12-16}}</ref> [Christina Lamb](/source/Christina_Lamb), [Julian Assange](/source/Julian_Assange), [Jon Lee Anderson](/source/Jon_Lee_Anderson) the late [Benazir Bhutto](/source/Benazir_Bhutto), the late [Boris Berezovsky](/source/Boris_Berezovsky_(businessman)), the late [Alexander Litvinenko](/source/Alexander_Litvinenko), and his widow, Marina Litvinenko.

The club includes a club room, meeting rooms, two lodging rooms and a discussion forum as well as an annex with 12 bedrooms available to members<ref>{{Cite web|title=Members|url=https://www.frontlineclub.com/members/|access-date=2021-08-03|website=Frontline Club|language=en}}</ref> The club also hosts film and documentary screenings and organises training and workshops in such skills as [camera operation](/source/documentary_film) and [film editing](/source/film_editing).

In May 2011, broadcaster [Louis Theroux](/source/Louis_Theroux) said in an interview with the ''[Evening Standard](/source/Evening_Standard)'' that the Frontline Club was his favourite London club.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/louis-theroux-my-london-6403321.html |title=Louis Theroux's My London |first=Johnston |last=Lucy Hunter |publisher=The Evening Standard |date=23 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527010804/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/lifestyle/esmagazine/article-23951777-louis-therouxs-my-london.do |archive-date=27 May 2011 |access-date=19 June 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==
[[File:FrontlineClubMeeting2.JPG|thumb|left|220px|BBC World Affairs Editor [John Simpson](/source/John_Simpson_(journalist)) being questioned about his career by fellow journalists, October 2007]]

The Frontline Club opened in 2003. It was co-founded by Vaughan & Pranvera Smith, surviving members of [Frontline News TV](/source/Frontline_News_TV), a cooperative of freelance cameramen formed during the chaos of the Romanian revolution in 1989.<ref>{{Cite web |title=From Our Archives: Full Video of WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange & Philosopher Slavoj Žižek With Amy Goodman |url=http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2012/8/16/from_our_archives_full_video_of_wikileaks_julian_assange_philosopher_slavoj_iek_with_amy_goodman |access-date=2026-05-18 |website=Democracy Now! |language=en}}</ref>

It specialized in war reporting for television.<ref>{{cite book |last=Loyn |first=David |year=2006 |title=Frontline: The True Story of the British Mavericks Who Changedf the Face of War Reporting |publisher=Michael Joseph Ltd |isbn=978-0-14-101784-6}}</ref> [Vaughan Smith](/source/Vaughan_Smith), one of two surviving founders of Frontline News TV, turned the operation into a club, offering a meeting place for those who believe in independent journalism, as well as to honour dead colleagues. It also aims to lobby for better support for the freelance journalistic community.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}

The clubroom has a display of relics drawn from the history of war reporting. Cabinets show personal items, some with shell still embedded, that have stopped a bullet and saved a journalist's life. The walls of the Frontline Club display examples of war photography and artwork.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}

In December 2010 Vaughan and Pranvera offered [Julian Assange](/source/Julian_Assange) of [WikiLeaks](/source/WikiLeaks) their private home, [Ellingham Hall](/source/Ellingham_Hall%2C_Norfolk), in Norfolk as an address for bail.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=40ae3724a83aa32a4fd0b7c5d&id=ba343776fd |title=Email to Frontline Club website |first=Vaughan |last=Smith |authorlink=Vaughan Smith |date=7 December 2010 |accessdate=7 December 2010}}</ref> Assange had been staying at the club for two months.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/dec/07/assange-bail-request-refused-wikileaks |title=Assange bail request refused as Wikileaks chief fights extradition |author=Caroline Davies and Sam Jones |work=The Guardian |date=7 December 2010 |accessdate=7 December 2010}}</ref>

In 2019 the club launched Frontline Freelance Register<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.frontlinefreelance.org/|title=The Frontline Freelance Register – Representing freelance journalists exposed to risk while gathering news.|website=www.frontlinefreelance.org}}</ref> for freelance journalists and reporters operating in war zones to help them with issues related to welfare, digital security and insurance.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ag3ADQAAQBAJ&q=war+photography+displayed+at+Frontline+club&pg=PT339|title=Unreasonable Behavior: An Autobiography|last=McCullin|first=Don|date=2017-06-13|publisher=Grove Press|isbn=9780802189592|language=ar}}</ref> The register states on their website "The Frontline Freelance Register" (FFR) is open to international freelance journalists who are exposed to risk in their work and who adhere to our Code of Conduct. We aim to provide our members with representation and a sense of community."
{{-}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commonscatinline}}
* {{Official|http://www.frontlineclub.com}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080704080548/http://network.frontlineclub.com/ Frontline Club social network]
* {{EW charity|1111898|The Frontline Club Charitable Trust}}
* [http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/08/28/business/media/28club.html?n=Top%2FNews%2FWorld%2FCountries%20and%20Territories%2FIraq  ''New York Times'' on the Frontline Club]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080905193650/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/giles_coren/article2133749.ece Frontline Club restaurant], [Giles Coren](/source/Giles_Coren)'s review in ''The Times''
* [https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-daily-telegraph-telegraph-magazine/20190810/281578062283193 On Assignment in Kosovo, ''Telegraph Magazine'']

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Category:Charities based in London
Category:Clubs and societies in London
Category:Press clubs
Category:Journalism organisations based in the United Kingdom

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Frontline Club](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontline_Club) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontline_Club?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.