The Northwestern Global Media and Communication’s Seminar (GMCS) kicked off on Monday with our first lecture by Professor Charlie Beckett at the London School of Economics (LSE), introduced by our very own Professor Dilip Gaonkar.  Professor Beckett is the founding director of POLIS, the think-tank for research and debate into international journalism and society in the Media and Communications Department. After a highly anticipated arrival and introduction to London, and the seminar over the weekend, we were all quite excited to hear Professor Beckett’s perspective and take on the London media landscape in the Digital Era.  It only took a few minutes into the lecture to be reminded what a great academic experience we were about to have on this trip.  The lecture and discussion included insights about how saving journalism in this new Digital Era can save the world, a topic of Professor Beckett’s publications.  Excellent points were raised about how communication strategy plays such a vital role in this day and age, not only through the media, but throughout global society, politics, pleasure and the economy as a whole.

We transitioned into the afternoon with an amazing lunch at Dishoom, an Indian restaurant in Covent Garden.  For a few it was the first time they have ever had Indian food, and it did not disappoint with everything from lamb sausage to ice cream sticks!  The lunches and dinners were a perfect way to get to know the whole GMCS group better and discuss the events.  Afterward, the group had a little time for some local shopping in Covent Garden before our next stop at one of Google’s offices in London.

We were hosted by Monika Mankiewicz, University Programs Specialist at Google.  She and her team put together a great session for us and provided a snapshot of the culture, structure and work at Google, along with a few prizes!  The GMCS group got a chance to tour the office and see the many perks we all hear about at Google, part of what creates such a collaborative work environment where communication between each other is a founding principle from Larry Page and Sergey Brin’s early days in the garage where it all started. Truly a great work environment at Google.

The MSC London cohort then got a chance to do more sight seeing together, the Tower Bridge (often referred to as the London Bridge) and the Tower of London.  The night was wrapped up with friends and a nice dinner at Jamie Oliver’s recapping the day and getting ready for another packed day ahead.

Professor Beckett’s Biography:  http://www.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/WhosWho/AcademicStaff/Charlie%20Beckett.aspx

By Andy Hinds, MSC Class of 2014