Professor Richard Sambrook is director of the Centre for Journalism at Cardiff University. His first job at the BBC was in local radio. He then moved over to TV news as a producer and quickly rose through the ranks, securing a variety of roles including news editor, head of BBC Sport, director of news and finally head of the World Service. He also played a key role in the roll-out of 24-hour news, and the launch of Radio 5 Live. In this in-depth interview, Richard shares how he led the BBC’s response to the Hutton Inquiry over the so-called “sexed-up” Iraq war dossier, describes his role in lobbying for the safety of journalists worldwide as chair of the Frontline Club; and discusses his academic work, including a forensic analysis of the connection between fake news and press freedom.