Martin Bright

Journalist and social entrepreneur

The story of his famous scoop now dramatised in the movie ‘Official Secrets’ – and the importance of having journalists from all walks of life

17th October 2019

Martin Bright is an investigative journalist and social entrepreneur. During his 20-year career he’s covered politics, religion and culture for a range of newspapers, magazines and television channels, and was the first non-Jewish political editor of the Jewish Chronicle. While at the Observer in 2003, he exposed the dirty tricks behind the Iraq War after receiving a leaked memo from GCHQ whistleblower Katherine Gun – a story dramatised in the new film ‘Official Secrets’. In this in-depth interview, he discusses the real events behind the film and how it felt to see Matt Smith play him on screen; reflects on his time with the Tony Blair Faith Foundation – and why he now believes it was ultimately doomed to fail; and describes why he founded Creative Society, a non-profit dedicated to social mobility in journalism and the creative industries.