Editor's note

The Conversation has now been publishing in the UK for four years. In May 2013 we rolled out the service, inspired by – and in partnership with – The Conversation that launched in Australia two years earlier.

Fast forward to 2017 and The Conversation continues to champion international journalistic collaboration, having established editions in Africa, the United States and France. Canada is coming soon and Conversation editors already work with academics from a number of other countries. These teams are rooted in communities, but able to come together to produce content that can be shared across the network, providing a range of perspectives and explanations relating to the events and discoveries that shape our world.

The Conversation has attracted more than 70 UK universities as members. Institutions from Ireland and Sweden have also joined. Our editors are not all huddled in London, but spread around, meeting academic authors to produce what we hope you feel is compelling content.

The Conversation UK team has generated more than 16,000 articles, by close to 10,000 authors. Thanks to our free-to-republish model these pieces have been read by hundreds of millions of people. That’s smart, informed, diverse knowledge delivered to the public when it is pertinent and useful.

We’ve looked at what happens to your brain when you give up sugar, covered the discovery of gravitational waves, explained numerous space missions and various global health and environmental issues. We have, of course, grown and flourished at a time of great political upheaval. We are currently covering our second UK general election, and have also brought this new form of journalism to bear on two historic referendums.

We always seek to broaden the type of content we produce, allowing you to tap into the higher education sector’s knowledge in more ways. The Conversation UK bureau now produces two podcasts, weekly Fact Checks, live events, Facebook Live sessions, Q&As and interviews.

Below you can find a selection of some of the work we’ve published this week, and click here to read coverage of the ongoing debacle facing the Trump administration in Washington.

When we launched, we did so amid rising concern about where people would find reliable, trustworthy journalism in an era of information fog. The necessity of such a platform has only become even more evident since. If you think our new form of independent, smart journalism is important as well as entertaining then please tell friends and colleagues about us. Forward this message and encourage them to sign up for the free daily email.

Thank you.

Stephen Khan

Editor

Top story

No money, no access. shutterstock.com

How WannaCry caused global panic but failed to turn much of a profit

Bill Buchanan, Edinburgh Napier University

The cyber-attack hit 200,000 computers and a number of big global organisations. But it hasn't made much in ransom money.

Politics + Society

Specials

The hidden messages of a party manifesto: Election Weekly podcast

Andrew Scott Crines, University of Liverpool; Ben Williams, University of Salford

You need to know what each party is promising but who has the time to read through all their programmes for government? We did so you don't have to.

The Conversation Quiz #12

Jeffery Uzoukwu, The Conversation

Let's see how conversant you are with this week's conversations!

Arts + Culture

Health + Medicine

Business + Economy

Education

Environment + Energy

Science + Technology

 

Featured events

Open House

University of Liverpool, Liverpool , Liverpool, L69 3BX, United Kingdom — University of Liverpool

Book launch: 'Peru: Elite Power and Political Capture'

51 Gordon Square, London, London, City of, WC1H 0PN, United Kingdom — UCL

CSD Exchanges in Democratic Politics: Perspectives on Left-Wing Populism in Europe

University of Westminster, Room G03, 4-12 Little Titchfield Street, London, London, City of, W1W 7BY, United Kingdom — University of Westminster

Book launch: 'Peru: Elite Power and Political Capture'

51 Gordon Square, London, London, City of, WC1H 0PN, United Kingdom — UCL

More events
 

Contact us here to have your event listed.

For sponsorship opportunities, email us here