As Special Projects Editor of The Guardian, Lewis launched a research study into the causes of the summer riots in England in 2011, and into the mechanisms which led to both the violence and the rapid spreading from London to other major towns and cities all over Britain. The project was executed together with professor Tim Newburn from the London School of Economics and 30 researchers. As such, it was a unique approach for a newspaper.
More than 500 people were interviewed and their testimonials carefully analysed. This led to debunking the many assumptions about the riots, from the role of social media to the involvement of criminal gangs. It shed new light on policing tactics, response in the courts, the emotional impact on victims and the various social, political and opportunistic motivations of the disorder. Lewis says he was inspired by the Pulitzer Prize winning study into the Detroit Riots in 1967.
More than 500 people were interviewed and their testimonials carefully analysed. This led to debunking the many assumptions about the riots, from the role of social media to the involvement of criminal gangs. It shed new light on policing tactics, response in the courts, the emotional impact on victims and the various social, political and opportunistic motivations of the disorder. Lewis says he was inspired by the Pulitzer Prize winning study into the Detroit Riots in 1967.