Ruth Smeeth is the CEO of Index on Censorship. Ruth was a British Labour Party politician and a Member of Parliament from 2015 until 2019 representing the Potteries. Prior to that she was deputy director of anti-racist organisation, HOPE not hate. Ruth is a passionate campaigner and is usually found with a cup of tea in hand (mug made in Stoke-on-Trent obviously).
Jemimah Steinfeld has lived and worked in both Shanghai and Beijing where she has written on a wide range of topics, with a particular focus on youth culture, gender and censorship. She is the author of the book Little Emperors and Material Girls: Sex and Youth in Modern China, which was described by the FT as “meticulously researched and highly readable”. Jemimah has freelanced for a variety of publications, including The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Vice, CNN, Time Out and the Huffington Post. She has a degree in history from Bristol University and went on to study an MA in Chinese Studies at SOAS. She can be found tweeting @JFSteinfeld.
Contact: [email protected]
Martin Bright has over 30 years of experience as a journalist, working for the Observer, the Guardian and the New Statesman among others. He has worked on several high-profile freedom of expression cases often involving government secrecy. He broke the story of Iraq War whistleblower Katharine Gun, which was made into the movie Official Secrets (2019) starring Keira Knightley.
He is the founder of Creative Society, a youth employment charity set up in response to the economic crash of 2008.
Jessica Ní Mhainín has experience in international human rights advocacy through her work at Front Line Defenders and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). She holds a Master’s degree in EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies from the College of Europe (Bruges), where she specialised in peace and conflict studies.
Contact: [email protected]
Emma Sandvik Ling joined Index in April 2021, focusing on Index events and partnerships.
She has previous experience producing events within both a British and an international context. Emma holds an MA in International Peace and Security from King’s College London, where she specialised in cyber security and Just War Theory.
David Sewell had 20 years of experience of finance management in retail before joining Index in 2009. He is a highly experienced and talented finance professional. He leads Index’s financial reporting, budget management and ensures sound governance according to charities laws and guidelines. He has also taken on the role of HR director and is responsible for office management.
Contact: [email protected]
Katie Dancey-Downs has travelled the world to tell stories about people and the planet. She’s passionate about human rights, the environment, and culture, and has a particular interest in refugee rights. Katie has written for a range of publications, including HuffPost, i News, New Internationalist, Resurgence Magazine, Reader’s Digest, and Big Issue, and is the former co-editor of the Lush Times magazine. She has a degree in Drama and Theatre Arts from the University of Birmingham and an MA in Journalism from Bournemouth University, where she focused her research on the ethical storytelling of refugee issues.
Mark Frary is associate editor of Index on Censorship and a regular contributor to other leading publications including The Times. He writes on a range of subjects including technology and its impact on civil liberties and has won numerous awards for his journalism.
He is the author of 12 books, including De/Cipher, The Story of Codes, The Origins of the Universe for Dummies, How to Get a Sofa Around A Corner and the biography Aiming High.
Mark has a first-class degree in astronomy and physics and worked at the CERN nuclear physics laboratory in Geneva before making the move into journalism.
He is a regular speaker at conferences on technology and the future.
Francis Clarke is a journalist who studied for an MA in Journalism at Liverpool John Moores University, where he focused his research on media portrayals of the Hillsborough disaster. He is passionate about politics, history, and culture. Francis is currently the editorial assistant at Index on Censorship and is honoured to be the 2022-23 Tim Hetherington Fellow
Contact: [email protected]
Kaya Genc is a contributing editor for Index on Censorship based in Istanbul. Kaya is a novelist and journalist whose work has been published in The New York Times, The Paris Review and The London Review of Books among others. He is has a PhD in English literature and his first novel, L’Avventura (Macera), was published in 2008. His latest book is The Lion and the Nightingale, which tells of his extraordinary quest to find the places and people in whom the contrasts of Turkey’s rich past meet.
