In a chapter in the recently published ‘Pandering to populism? Journalism and politics in a post-truth age’, NCTJ Chair Sue Brooks highlights three findings from research conducted by the NCTJ in 2024 that suggest that journalism has become an “elite sport”:
- Over 80 per cent of journalists have some form of university qualification, compared to less than 40 per cent of the UK population overall
- Just nine per cent of journalists come from lower socio-economic groups, compared to 19 per cent of the population
- 67 per cent come from higher-level socio-economic groups, compared to 45 per cent of the population as a whole
This matters, she says, “because it’s never been more important to ensure journalists reflect the communities they serve. How can we expect our viewers, readers and listeners to trust us if they don’t recognise us?”
The AOP’s Richard Reeves recently wrote in his review of an AOP CRUNCH event focused on the issue of diversity: “Publishers often fall into the trap of serving the same people with the same content until it all runs dry. A lack of internal diversity trickles down into a lack of diverse output, resulting in missed opportunities to serve a wider audience and enrich the experience of existing audiences with fresh perspectives.”
One simple step in the right direction would be to pay interns. As Sue Brooks says: “Progress has been made on smashing the glass ceiling: now we need to start focusing on breaking through the floor, with a radical overhaul of recruitment practices… By limiting entry to those who can afford to house and feed themselves while they work for nothing to gain the experience they need for a compelling CV, we are creating invisible barriers for those without access to the bank of mum and dad.”
Paying interns is a small price to pay for a more profitable future.
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