Journalism and equality - it’s in our hands
First year BA Journalism student Phoebe Lewin reports back on the first panel from the 202 Coventry University Festival fo Journalism, which covered Journalism and Equality.
First topic of the day, Journalism and Equality, where we welcomed guests Trish Adudu from BBC CWR, as well as Sophie Perry for Oxford Mail, and Miranda Holt from BBC 50:50..
The panel in action
As a student, it is very insightful to hear from professionals already in my desired field, where I can expand my network, make connections, and share ideas - especially as the topic of this session is Journalism and Equality.
It has been great to meet people who notice that Journalism wasn’t always a diverse field, and there needs to be more done about it. All guests agreed that diversity is being represented in the media now, more that it has ever been, which gives us students the drive to go out there, get into the field and make journalism more diverse for viewers as well as ourselves.
Trish Adudu opened by explaining her career beginning on Match of the Day, as the only woman (apart from her boss) to be in the office. She explained her experience of being ridiculed by the men in the office as a young woman, with men putting underwear in her drawers but she didn’t let that stop her, she continued to strive for the best and is now a presenter for BBC CWR.
As a woman with a long career in TV, she says “You need to be creative and authentic, ideas are the key”. She is a true inspiration to student journalists as she was a freelancer for 20 years before starting with BBC Coventry and Warwickshire (CWR), which is motivating for many up-and-coming freelance journalists, to show that freelancing IS doable.
The next guest, Sophie Perry from Oxford Mail talks about her journey and how she graduated twice from two different institutions. She gained her NCTJ diploma from Wolverhampton college, and from there she is running a LGBTQ+ Journalism network Facebook group with the first event happening via zoom on Saturday, where she quotes, “I spotted there was a gap in diversity, and I wanted to fill that gap”.
Her motivation to build a network of people with different sexual orientations is helping many people, with 100 members joining the Facebook group in the space of one week, so don’t forget to join!
This teaches students like me that it’s never too late to find your passion for something and pursue it. Also, if you notice something that journalism is lacking, try and fill that gap, by bringing in more of what they are lacking. Sophie’s top tip for students is, “Know what your audience is, take a list of pitches, about 10 – more than they are looking for. What’s your specialist skill, that you haven’t seen used before?”
Sophie ends with “there is a space for happy news, it’s not always doom and gloom” which reminds us about the light and shade that the news brings.
We’re very fortunate to be in one of the best universities for this course, because we have opportunities like these to learn from former journalists, and network with current ones too.
Last but not least, we have Miranda Holt from the BBC 50:50 project who has worked in journalism for over 20 years, covering news and current affairs. She explains what the 50:50 project is and how the BBC are striving for more diversity. She speaks about how you need the ability to be impartial, where she adds “so if you’re a big campaigner, you need to think about impartiality, as you could end up being scrutinised.”
She further explains what the 50:50 core principles are:
· To collect data to effect change
· Measure what you control
· Never compromise on quality
The 50:50 project is beyond gender and Miranda identifies the following targets for her project:
50% woman’s representation
20% ethnicity representation
12% disability representation
Miranda shared with us that the BBC is looking for people with digital skills, and why it is important to be skilled in multimedia and mentions that the BBC has lots of opportunities available.
These three guests have given such good advice for us to follow and use to our advantage.
Overall, an excellent start to the festival, very insightful and motivating. I personally felt much better about my course, and my passion for journalism has been reignited with the hope for better diversity and equality in future. We are the future!