Robert Pinker, international consultant to the UK Press Complaints Commission, is this year's speaker at the annual George Sammut Memorial lecture entitled Politicians And Media Ethics.

The lecture will be held on April 3 at 6.30 p.m. at the Erin Serracino Inglott Hall, University of Malta. The lecture is open to the public.

Prof. Pinker served as a member of the UK Press Complaints Commission from 1991 to 2004, as its Privacy Commissioner from 1994 to 2004 and as its Acting Chairman from 2002 to 2003.

He recently completed a three-year term as international chairman of the Press Council of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

His previous experience in the area of self-regulation includes council membership of the Advertising Standards Authority from 1988 to 1995 and of the Direct Mail Services Standards Board/Accreditation Centre from 1995 to 1998.

In his academic career, he has held professorial appointments at Goldsmiths College, Chelsea College and the London School of Economics. During his tenure at the London School of Economics he served as pro-director of the School from 1985 to 1988 and as pro-vice-chancellor for social sciences of the University of London from 1989 to 1990. In 1996, he was appointed Emeritus professor of social administration at the LSE.

His academic publications include Social Theory And Social Policy, 1971; The Idea Of Welfare, 1979; Social Work In An Enterprise Society, 1990, and, more recently, various articles on social policy issues and press self-regulation.

He was appointed CBE in the New Year's Honours List 2004.

Prof. Pinker will hold a discussion with students of communication studies at the University on April 4 in the morning. The theme will be Growth Of Press Regulation In The EU.

George Sammut was editor of The Sunday Times of Malta between 1956 and 1965.