Heather Brooke
Heather Brooke
Heather Rose Brookeis a British-American journalist and freedom of information campaigner. Resident since the 1990s in the UK, she helped to expose the 2009 expenses scandal, which culminated in the resignation of House of Commons Speaker Michael Martin...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionJournalist
CountryUnited States of America
manuscript months publishers require six submit
Traditional publishers require an author to submit a manuscript six months in advance, and if pressed, no later than two or three.
awe britain came ferocious people power taking
When I came to Britain I was in awe of the British press, afraid of them. But they're not as ferocious as people think. In some instances they are, but when it comes to taking on power they're really deferential.
chance conspiracy journalist political whether
Whether I'll get the chance to write fiction, I don't know. I could do political conspiracy thrillers, couldn't I? With an investigative journalist as the heroine.
certainly politics publishing ways whether
Digitization is certainly challenging the old ways of doing things, whether that's in publishing or politics. But it's not the end. In many ways, it is just the beginning.
life narrative quite surreal turning
It is quite surreal having a film made about your life. The whole process of turning real life into drama is interesting in itself, but even more so when it is your own life being put into the narrative forge.
empowered events expecting information people quite similar
People are used to getting a lot of information quickly, and they're used to being quite empowered as consumers, and they go to governments expecting a similar treatment; they want to find data and they want to influence events quickly, and yet they come into this brick wall.
britain intense passes secrecy serve society
There is a very intense culture of secrecy in Britain that hasn't yet been dismantled. What passes for transparency here would serve any secret society well.
answer claimed enforce reforming simply
When it comes to reforming MPs' expenses, the answer is simply to keep it simple: show us receipts as they're claimed and, where there are abuses, enforce the law.
keeps public scrutiny
It is scrutiny by the general public that keeps the powerful honest.
gaining several towards
The movement towards radical transparency and accountability has been gaining steam for several decades.
information people
A generation of people are being radicalised by the criminalisation of information sharing.
people
Democracy isn't just for people in the Middle East, but Britons, too.
information
For information to be useful, it should be dynamic, searchable, and accessible.
freedom information obviously
I'm a freedom of information campaigner, so obviously I support the cause of Wikileaks.