Fiona Fox (UK press officer)
Encyclopedia
Fiona Fox is a British
writer. She is the director of the Science Media Centre
and a former leading member of the Revolutionary Communist Party.
where she became a senior press officer, followed by two years running the media operation at the National Council for One Parent Families.
, where she adopted the Jubilee 2000
press group, which aimed to push serious Third World issues onto the media and political agendas.
She has been accused of genocide denial
in relation to a report she wrote in 1995 for the magazine Living Marxism
on the violence in Rwanda
. She wrote this article using the name 'Fiona Foster'.
, based at the Royal Institution of Great Britain in London
.
The credibility of the Science Media Centre
has been questioned, mainly on the basis of the political affiliations of Fiona Fox, and in particular Fox's links to the Living Marxism group.
family in North Wales
, the younger sister of Claire
(born 1960) and Gemma (born 1963, adopted into Fox family in 1964). She attended St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School, Flint
, and studied journalism
at the Polytechnic of Central London
.
She is married to political commentator and teacher Kevin Rooney. Their son, Declan, was born in 1999. They live in London. Fox has cystic fibrosis
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writer. She is the director of the Science Media Centre
Science Media Centre
The Science Media Centre is an organisation which formed following to the United Kingdom House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology's third report on "Science and Society" in 2000....
and a former leading member of the Revolutionary Communist Party.
Early Professional career
Fox started her career at Thames Polytechnic as an assistant PR officer. From there she worked for six years at the Equal Opportunities CommissionEqual Opportunities Commission
The Equal Opportunities Commission was an independent non-departmental public body, in the United Kingdom, which tackled sex discrimination and promoted gender equality...
where she became a senior press officer, followed by two years running the media operation at the National Council for One Parent Families.
CAFOD
Fox then became Head of Media at CAFODCAFOD
The Catholic Agency For Overseas Development, previously known as the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development, is a United Kingdom-based international aid agency working to alleviate poverty and suffering in developing. It is funded by the Catholic community in England and Wales, the UK government...
, where she adopted the Jubilee 2000
Jubilee 2000
Jubilee 2000 was an international coalition movement in over 40 countries that called for cancellation of third world debt by the year 2000. This movement coincided with the Great Jubilee, the celebration of the year 2000 in the Catholic Church...
press group, which aimed to push serious Third World issues onto the media and political agendas.
She has been accused of genocide denial
Genocide denial
Genocide denial occurs when an act of genocide is met with attempts to deny the occurrence and minimize the scale or death toll. The most well-known type is Holocaust denial, but its definition can extend to any genocide that has been minimized or met with excessive skepticism.Where there is near...
in relation to a report she wrote in 1995 for the magazine Living Marxism
Living Marxism
Living Marxism was a British magazine, originally launched in 1988 as the journal of the British Revolutionary Communist Party . It was later rebranded as LM and folded in March 2000 following an adverse ruling in a libel lawsuit brought by the British news corporation, Independent Television News...
on the violence in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
. She wrote this article using the name 'Fiona Foster'.
Science Media Centre
In December 2001 Fox was appointed the founding Director of the Science Media CentreScience Media Centre
The Science Media Centre is an organisation which formed following to the United Kingdom House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology's third report on "Science and Society" in 2000....
, based at the Royal Institution of Great Britain in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The credibility of the Science Media Centre
Science Media Centre
The Science Media Centre is an organisation which formed following to the United Kingdom House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology's third report on "Science and Society" in 2000....
has been questioned, mainly on the basis of the political affiliations of Fiona Fox, and in particular Fox's links to the Living Marxism group.
Personal life
Fiona was born (1964) into an Irish CatholicIrish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
family in North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
, the younger sister of Claire
Claire Fox
Claire Fox , also known as Claire Foster, is a British writer. She is the director and founder of the British think tank, the Institute of Ideas, and a prominent former member of the Revolutionary Communist Party....
(born 1960) and Gemma (born 1963, adopted into Fox family in 1964). She attended St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School, Flint
St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School, Flint
St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School is an oversubscribed 11-18 mixed Catholic comprehensive school serving the population of Flintshire in North Wales...
, and studied journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
at the Polytechnic of Central London
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
.
She is married to political commentator and teacher Kevin Rooney. Their son, Declan, was born in 1999. They live in London. Fox has cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...
.
Articles by Fiona Fox (selected)
- Chemistry World: Comment: Playing fast and loose with science (November 2006) - Following the release of the WWF report ‘Chain of contamination: the food link’, John Henry and Fiona Fox comment on the study, and its coverage in the media
- Chemistry World: Nanotech - The Next Controversy alike GM? (February 2004)