Who's who

Paul Lashmar is an investigative journalist who works in television, radio and print. He is also a television producer, author and lecturer. Since entering journalism in 1978 he has been on the staff of The Observer (1978-89), Granada Television’s World in Action current affairs series (1989-1992) and The Independent (1998-2001). He was awarded ‘Reporter of The Year’ in the 1986 UK Press Awards for the investigation into MI5’s vetting of BBC staff.

Since leaving London in 2001 Paul has had a regular working relationship with the Independent on Sunday for cutting edge investigations covering the intelligence side of Iraq war. He tends to write about terrorism, intelligence, organised crime, offshore crime, business fraud and the Cold War. He also writes from time to time for The Guardian.

Paul has been a part-time staff member on the PgDip/MA Broadcast Journalism course at University College Falmouth since 2001. Over the last twenty years he has given many lectures on journalism at media schools including City University, Westminster University and London College of Communication. He has also given lectures on historical research at Kingston University, the Institute of Contemporary British History, Leicester University, Queen Mary and Westfield College, Nottingham University and the University of Birmingham. He has also written a number of research papers for historical conferences.

Paul has produced television programmes for a number of strands including BBC’s Timewatch and C4’s Dispatches. He is currently a consultant to a BBC One drama documentary on crime in the 1970s. In 2004 he originated and acted as a consultant for a BBC Three programme on Mark Thatcher and the Equatorial Guinea Coup made by Touch Productions. In 2004 he was series consultant on the BBC Two series, Underworld Rich List. He was series consultant on Bridport Films, How to Rob a Bank, which was transmitted on Channel Four in March 2003. He worked for the respected independent production company Brook Lapping between 1993 and 1998. At World in Action he was involved in a number of major investigative programmes including one into the Royal Family’s tax avoidance which resulted in the Queen playing income tax.

At The Observer Paul broke many major stories, often working with reporter David Leigh, including Mark Thatcher’s secret lobbying in Oman,The Stalker Affair, Scotland Yard corruption, Nuclear Test veteran deaths, Arms to South Africa, MP, John Browne's secret business interests, and The Economic League's secret blacklist. Paul also wrote the original story of the Spycatcher allegations (1986) that was injuncted by the British Government. In 1991 The Observer and other news organisations won their case against the Government in the European Court of Human Rights.

Paul broke many other exclusive stories, including The West Midlands Serious Crime Squad (1988), Racism in the Army (1986), extreme right-wing infiltration in the Conservative Party (1983), Boeing jet manufacture faults (1989).

As a freelance Paul has reported for BBC Two’s Newsnight programme and has also written for The Washington Post, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian, The Independent Magazine, The Independent on Sunday, The Observer, The Times, Esquire, Miami Herald, Harpers, Esquire, Africa Confidential, Africa Report (US), West Africa, Virgin Inflight Magazine, UK Press Gazette, British Journalism Review, Rough Guides, New Statesman, History Today, BBC History magazine, Aeroplane Monthly, UNESCO and broadcast for BBC Radio's, From Our Own Correspondent. He is regularly interviewed on television and radio including BBC Radio Four’s Front Row.

Primarily a domestic reporter, Paul has reported on difficult and demanding stories from countries including: Brazil, Cameroon, China, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, Israel (West Bank), Italy, Panama, Russia, Taiwan, and the United States.Paul has written three books: "Britain's Secret Cold War Propaganda," co-authored with James Oliver, (published Oct. 1998 by Sutton), "Spyflights of the Cold War," (published Sept. 1996 by Sutton), “Scotland Yard's Cocaine Connection" with Andrew Jennings and Vyv Simson, (published by Jonathan Cape 1990/91).

Paul was named as an adviser to the Centre for Investigative Journalism in May 2008 alongside some major figures including John Pilger, David Leigh and Lowell Bergman.

Paul lives in Dorset with his family. He is also a steering committee member of the Wessex Media Group, a committee member of Rustic Films a local community film making group in Dorset and is a Board Member of the Bridport Arts Centre.