The accessible event will see leading disabled journalists and experts come together to discuss a variety of topics from how to better attract and retain talent to how neurodiversity can benefit newsrooms.
Panellists will give tips and ideas for aspiring journalists on how to break into the industry, and provide insight and solutions on how to make content and platforms more accessible to all.
The Disability & Journalism Forum, hosted by talkSPORT’s Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, will be hosted at The News Building with a small audience of aspiring journalists in attendance. The conference will also be streamed free for anyone wishing to attend with key talks, and clips available on the Disability Journalism Forum social media channels afterwards.
The keynote speech will be delivered by The Times columnist Melanie Reid MBE, writer of The Saturday Times Magazine’s Spinal Column and author of The World I Fell Out Of.
Speakers will include:
- Katy Docherty, Features Writer, The Sun
- Will Gore, Head of Partnerships, NCTJ
- Georgia Lambert, Junior Journalist, The Times
- Liam O’Dell, Freelance Journalist
- Ellis Palmer, Journalist, BBC
- Matt Pierri, CEO and Founder, Sociability
- Simon Sansome, Founder, Ability Access
- Amber Sunner, Freelance Journalist and Editor
- Heloise Beaton, Disability Lead, Think Bigger and TV Producer
- Edi Smockum, Director, Think Bigger
- Angie Alderman, Genius Within
- Jo Crawford, YouTube Creator Network
- Sophia Warner, C4 pundit & 2012 Paralympian
Dominic Carter, Group Chief Commercial Officer said: “Alongside the wider industry, we want to learn how to be better equipped to recruit and retain people with disabilities, and to take learnings from experts, as we continue to develop our products to make them accessible to all.
“This forum will enrich our business, and beyond, with the knowledge to foster new talent and insight into how to make the media more accessible than ever.”
Will Gore, Head of Partnerships & Projects at the NCTJ, said: “Making professional journalism training accessible to all is one of the NCT’s core objectives. Supporting people with disabilities into industry is therefore an important priority, and our work through the Journalism Diversity Fund and other recent projects bears testament to that.
“Of course, there remains more to do, and we’re delighted to come together with other journalists and media organisations at News UK’s conference to share insights and discuss ideas for the future.”
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