Creating a more diverse media industry

Journalists are among the most maligned of professionals but they also have the power to shape a better society.

Training young reporters to reflect diversity, equity and avoid stereotypes and prejudice is the key to a more ethical industry, with Liverpool John Moores’ famous Screen School at the forefront of debate.

Initiatives for LJMU’s Journalism and Sports Journalism courses include training students to take a fresh look at poverty and class when reporting and familiarising them with a glossary for reporting diversity.

Such advances were discussed at a one-day conference Equality Diversity & Inclusion in Journalism education in Liverpool, featuring executives from Sky, Channel 4, BBC, the NCTJ and academics from across the UK.

“It’s about educators and industry representatives sharing ideas around embedding EDI in the industry from day one,” said Fran Yeoman, head of journalism at LJMU.

Delegates, including students, heard from Fran and colleague Polly Sharpe who run student-led monitoring of their awareness and willingness to use appropriate language and reflect diversity of opinions and voices in student reporting.

They report as a ‘positive’ that certainty on use of sensitive language dropped as students gained more awareness, a point echoed by Sky News senior editor Andy Thompson: “Our reporters often have the same nervousness when they go to conduct voxes (vox pops) with people outside their social groups.”

Dr Rachel Broady said it was often the case that journalists, particularly on nationals, were middle-class and took a class perspective of the world.

Rachel has been working with the NUJ to create a guide of good practice on the reporting of poverty. With ‘poverty-porn’ under the spotlight, her research shows that poor people are often observed, judged and not given a voice in their own lived experience.

In a debate about the jump from journalism courses to employment, delegates said the demise of local media had narrowed opportunity for all. One suggestion was to tap into opportunities supplied by large sporting organisations. "There are loads of football clubs, rugby clubs and others in the north west which are on the look-out for reporters," said Giulia Bould, a mentor for LJMU and sports reporter at BBC Merseyside. 

James Cranford, a job-seeking LJMU graduate of 2024 said he was optimistic: “We must remember the industry needs us as much as we need the industry.”  

The EDI conference took place the day before the main Association of Journalism Educators UK conference, which will be hosted at LJMU from 27 to 28 June.

Main Image (above): Sunita Bhatti, head of regions at Channel 4 news; Giulia Bould, BBC Merseyside; Liv Heslington, LJMU graduate (2024) and BBC reporter; Jem Collins, founder of Journo Resources; James Crawford, LJMU graduate (2024) and Andy Thompson, senior editor at Sky Sports.