The Wincott Foundation seeks to contribute to a better understanding of economic issues, principally by supporting and encouraging high-quality economic, financial and business journalism, in the UK and internationally. The Foundation believes that the media – print, broadcast and on-line – have an important role to play in reporting, explaining and commenting on economic and business developments. Accurate, objective and well-informed economic reporting and analysis in the media are essential ingredients of a well-functioning market economy.
The foundation was set up in 1969 in honour of Harold Wincott, the most distinguished economic journalist of his day. The current chairman is Sir Geoffrey Owen, former editor of the Financial Times. Sir Geoffrey is supported by a group of trustees who have a background in business, journalism and academia.
The Foundation’s best-known activity is the annual presentation of awards for outstanding achievement in economic and financial journalism to journalists and media organisations in the UK. These awards cover print, broadcast and on-line journalism.
Since 1970 the Foundation has organised an annual Wincott Foundation lecture, usually given by a distinguished economist or policy-maker. Past lecturers have included Milton Friedman, James Meade, F.A.Hayek, Lionel Robbins, George Stigler, Samuel Brittan, Jagdish Bhagwati and Douglass C. North.
Since 1995 the Wincott Foundation has organised a fellowship programme whereby selected economic journalists from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are invited to spend a term at Oxford University under the auspices of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. In addition to attending lectures and seminars at Oxford, both journalism-related and on other themes, the Wincott fellows undertake a research project of their own, usually on a topic related to the economic situation in their country.
Ian Rodger, Secretary