Carole Cadwalladr facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carole Cadwalladr
Cadwalladr in 2019
Born	Carole Jane Cadwalladr 1969 (age 55–56) Taunton, Somerset, England
Occupation	Journalist
Education	Radyr Comprehensive School
Alma mater	Hertford College, Oxford

Carole Cadwalladr (born 1969) is a British writer and investigative journalist. She is well-known for her work with The Observer newspaper. In 2018, she became famous around the world for helping to reveal the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal. For this important work, she was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.

Early Life and First Steps

Carole Cadwalladr was born in Taunton, Somerset, England. She grew up in South Wales. She went to Radyr Comprehensive School in Cardiff and later studied at Hertford College, Oxford.

From Travel to Novels

In the 1990s, Cadwalladr started her career writing travel guidebooks. She also wrote travel stories for The Daily Telegraph.

Her first novel, The Family Tree, was very successful. It was nominated for several awards, including the 2006 Commonwealth Writers' Prize. The book was even turned into a five-part radio show for BBC Radio 4. It was also chosen as an Editor's Choice by The New York Times Book Review in the US. The Family Tree was translated into many different languages.

Investigating Big Tech

In the 2010s, Carole Cadwalladr's journalism began to focus on technology. She interviewed important people like Jimmy Wales, who founded Wikipedia.

Exposing Fake News

Starting in late 2016, The Observer published many articles by Cadwalladr. These articles looked into what she called the "right-wing fake news ecosystem." This meant she investigated how false information was being spread online.

She reported on problems with campaigns for Brexit, which was the UK leaving the European Union. She also looked into how the 2016 EU membership referendum was funded. Cadwalladr also reported on possible connections between Nigel Farage, Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, and Russian influence in the US election.

The Cambridge Analytica Scandal

Carole Cadwalladr played a key role in uncovering the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal. This scandal showed how a company called Cambridge Analytica used personal data from millions of Facebook users without their permission. This data was then used to try and influence elections. Before Cambridge Analytica closed down in 2018, they tried to take legal action against The Observer because of Cadwalladr's articles.

Speaking Out at TED

In April 2019, Cadwalladr gave a powerful 15-minute TED talk. The talk was called "Facebook's role in Brexit — and the threat to democracy." In her speech, she directly spoke about the leaders of big tech companies like Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Larry Page (Google). She said that Facebook was "breaking" democracy. Her speech was widely discussed and applauded. She believed that if things didn't change, it would be hard to have fair elections again.

Defending Her Journalism

Carole Cadwalladr faced a legal challenge because of her reporting.

The Libel Case

In July 2019, a person named Arron Banks started a libel case against Cadwalladr. Libel means making a false statement that harms someone's reputation. Banks objected to Cadwalladr's claim, especially in her TED talk, that he had not been truthful about his connections with the Russian government.

Cadwalladr's lawyers argued that she had reasonable reasons to investigate these matters because they were important for the public to know. In June 2022, a court dismissed Banks' case. The judge decided that Cadwalladr had a good reason to believe her comments were in the public interest.

However, in February 2023, another court ruled that continuing to publish her TED Talk after April 2020 had caused "serious harm" to Banks' reputation. This was because an official report had found no evidence that Banks broke the law regarding campaign donations. The court ordered Cadwalladr to pay damages.

This case was very difficult for Cadwalladr. Many journalism groups said the lawsuit was a SLAPP suit. These are lawsuits sometimes used to try and silence journalists who are reporting on important public issues. They believed the case threatened the freedom of the press.

In April 2023, Cadwalladr was ordered to pay £35,000 in damages and over £1 million in legal costs. Her lawyers later announced they would take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.

Other Projects

Cadwalladr is a founder of "The Citizens." This is a not-for-profit organization made up of journalists, filmmakers, and other creative people. Their goal is to "power movements that confront the unchecked power of Big Tech and states" by telling important stories.

Awards for Her Work

Carole Cadwalladr has received many awards for her brave and important journalism:

• British Journalism Awards' Technology Journalism Award in December 2017
• Specialist Journalist of the Year 2017 at the National Society of Editors Press Awards
• Orwell Prize for Political Journalism in June 2018 for her work on how big data affected the 2016 EU Referendum and the 2016 US presidential election.
• Reporters without Borders "L'esprit de RSF" award in November 2018 for her work on protecting democratic processes.
• The 2018 Polk Award for National Reporting (with reporters from the New York Times).
• The 2018 Stieg Larsson Prize, an award for people working in the spirit of the famous author Stieg Larsson.
• Political Studies Association Journalist of the Year in November 2018 for her strong investigative journalism.
• Two 2018 British Journalism Awards for Technology Reporting and Investigation.
• Technology Journalist of the Year in the 2018 Society of Editors awards.
• The 2019 Gerald Loeb Award for Investigative Reporting.
• The annual Hay Festival's Medal for Journalism in May 2019 for her "heroic and rigorous investigative journalism."
• Finalist, 2019 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, for her coverage of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
• Winner, 2023 Quaker Truth & Integrity Award.