Jonathan Freedland, 21st century superpower debate in London, March 2011

Jonathan Freedland

Guardian columnist, author and broadcaster

Jonathan Freedland is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster. He writes a weekly column in The Guardian, as well as a monthly piece for The Jewish Chronicle. He also presents BBC Radio 4’s contemporary history series, The Long View. His latest book, published in February 2005, is Jacob’s Gift – a memoir telling the stories of three generations of his own family as well as exploring wider and urgent questions of identity and belonging.

Freedland's first book, Bring Home the Revolution: the Case for a British Republic, was both acclaimed and controversial – arguing that Britain was in dire need of a constitutional and cultural overhaul, one that could learn much from America. It was later adapted into a TV series for BBC Two. More recently, he fronted The Talk Show on BBC 4 as well as several programmes for Channel 4 – including a debate on the legacy of the Second World War.

Before 1997, Jonathan served for four years as the Guardian’s Washington Correspondent and the US remains an area of specialist interest – along with the politics of Britain and the Middle East. He has written often for a variety of US publications, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Newsweek.

In the annual What the Papers Say awards of 2002 Freedland was named Columnist of the Year and praised for his "incisive, original, strong and very outspoken views".