Author: Samantha Asumadu

Samantha Asumadu is a journalist and documentary filmmaker. She has been a finalist for the Society of Editors’ National Investigation of the Year, and the Paul Foot Investigative and Campaigning Journalism Award. She has delivered guest journalism lectures at the London School of Economics, Cambridge University, City University, and King’s College London.

22 October 2026

Silence and Sponsorship

Why has a prestigious education title published nothing on the recent scrutiny of former Reform UK academic James Orr? Samantha Asumadu reports
19 October 2026

James Orr, Silence, and Sponsorship: Hungary Confirms End of Media Agreement with ‘Times Higher Education’

Orr, the former Reform UK policy chief, praised the Hungarian Government led by Viktor Orbán as a ‘counterexample to the ideology in my own country that rejects national pride’

Foreign Affairs, Hungary, Journalism, Media, Reform UK, UK Politics
30 September 2026

Times Higher Education, Sponsored by Orbán’s Hungary, Failed to Report James Orr Allegations

The publication signed a partnership with Viktor Orbán’s government and has since published no coverage of the allegations around a Cambridge academic and former Reform UK policy chief whose foundation receives Hungary-linked funding

Authoritarianism, Education, Media, Reform UK, UK Politics