A few weeks ago, the newly appointed chair of the Social Mobility Commission, Katharine Birbalsingh, set out her “new vision for social mobility” in his inaugural speech in the role.
She wants the UK to stop focusing on ‘rag-to-riches stories’ and start celebrating ‘those who progress’, for example, parents who go from unemployment to employment, i.e. say she thinks those from lower socio-economic backgrounds need to scale back their ambitions in favor of small incremental gains.
Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, explains that the question of absolute social mobility has always centered on the question: how much better off are you than your parents? In this light, improvements in social mobility in this country are on the decline.
“Everyone is better apart from the Millennials,” Major says. “We are in an era of declining opportunity.”
Long live the rich-to-rich stories in the media
If the media were to follow the vision set out by Birbalsingh, what would lower ambition mean in the case of those who work specifically in the media? In my opinion, the answer is quite alarming: the presence of even fewer journalists from lower socio-economic backgrounds in local and national media.
Our industry is already facing the daunting task of reversing the lack of diversity in newsrooms – and failing; focusing even less on achieving real socio-economic diversity in the media seems risky.
Indeed, like the last Diversity figures from the National Council for Journalism Training (NCTJ) spectacle, the media become more chic. Worse still, the roads that were once open to aspiring local journalists are now either closed or don’t offer enough stability or income to make them viable and attractive.
Having someone to look up to who shares your background, background and struggles makes becoming a journalist or achieving anything in society seem more accessible, as award-winning journalist Dhruti Shah explains.
“These stories help inspire people to believe they can do it. Especially if these role models have their feet on the ground.”
Journalism’s endless perfect storm
Current diversity programs don’t seem to be delivering the large-scale impact the media desperately needs.
According to Major, who was already looking into these issues in 2006 with the Sutton Trust, it was “a perfect storm then and it remains a perfect storm now”.
He continues: “We were then told [that the media] would become even more privileged in the future.”
And that’s true. So what is this perfect storm made of?
Low wages, instability and productivity demands
One of the specificities of the media sector today is the low remuneration offered, not only to junior staff, but also to the most experienced.
According to Save The Student, the average salary for publishing and journalism graduates in 2022 can range from £15,000 to £26,000. This can be minimum wage for a position that requires a college degree – sometimes a master’s degree.
Additionally, salaries vary wildly depending on the employer, the size of the organization, the type of work performed (“digital” and “social” roles seem to pay less), and the location of the role, according to sources like JournoResources Where Glass door.
This mediocre salary does not even take into account the initial costs of entering the industry, incurred during unpaid or low-paid internships – something PressPad’s Recently Relaunched Host Mentorship Program tries to attack.
Some publishers have “raised concerns about it, saying there are currently ‘more jobs and fewer strong candidates’ than at any time they can remember“. One begins to wonder if after graduating and learning about the harsh realities of the industry and poor payers, it’s a matter of interest or viability.
It’s no surprise that aspiring journalists and students turn to communications, public relations or marketing positions, where they find much better prospects for pay and career advancement.
When asked how difficult it is to make a living in the industry, Hayley Finch, journalist, editor and owner of the Animal News Agency, replied: “It is possible. It’s just a lot harder, and you’re already exhausted from having other jobs.
“So when you find work, you don’t tempt fate. Your rent depends on it.”
As freelancing has become a way for students to break into the media, instead of working on local news, staff jobs have become even less secure. Over 200 local newspapers in the UK have closed since 2012and layoffs in national and local media are commonplace.
Even experienced freelance journalists do not earn all their income from journalism, because Anna Codrea-Rado shared in 2020 in her newsletter in 2020, and Journalism.co.uk research survey showed in 2015.
It’s a shift from the way the industry used to operate, increasing the generational divide in newsrooms that’s happening simultaneously.
“Mindsets are changing but there’s still a big divide. Older journalists want to continue to do things their own way, including how they judge talent,” Professor Major tells me. “What’s interesting is that the rest of the world is moving forward.”
Centralization of jobs and cash in capital
As all jobs have been made less secure, David Stenhouse, CEO of the John Schofield Trust, says while news deserts have formed outside London, many media companies have focused their efforts on the capital. This is a far cry from the image of twenty years ago, where supportive journalists were all about rewarding secure jobs, which enriched their local communities.
Stenhouse recognizes the efforts made by broadcasters to decentralize to the regions. But he is cautious about the impact it will have as ‘most decisions could still be made in London’.
The remaining independent local newspapers must fight centralization of funding for entry-level roles, as Natalie Fenton, professor of media and communications and founder of the Media Reform Coalition, revealed in a parliamentary evidence session on the sustainability of local journalism.
“In the last year of the Local Democracy Reporters program, 85% of the funds went to the big three publishers. .”
No clear and fair path
Although the NCTJ or Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC) provide industry-wide recognized qualifications and journalism is a learned-by-doing trade, there is no clear path to the profession. As Shah explains, connections are everything.
“You need a sponsor, someone to give you a break,” she says. “It’s easier to get lucky when you already have access to opportunities in front of you.
“Classy people don’t call it networking. They just introduce their friends, go for brunch and drinks. It’s much more instinctive.”
This sometimes results in journalists without any formal training in media law, which Shah has repeatedly observed, while aspiring journalists from less valued backgrounds will have to provide a qualification or participate in a low-paid internship.
Besides access and financial resources, another issue related to entry and retention in the industry is trust. Finch hits the nail on the head when she points out, “It’s not just feeling like an impostor, it’s being treated like one.”
Nor is journalism as glamorous as it is made out to be or perceived from the outside. The job is tough, which is why socio-economic diversity is so important, Finch continues: “We miss the great journalists: empathetic, accurate and delivering the best stories.”
What needs to be done?
To start, we need data. As with all strategic goals, you need goals and a clear definition of what it means to come from a socio-economically disadvantaged background. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
But goals without accountability won’t get us far. The media themselves are sticking to their mission of holding power to account, but if they are not open to accountability themselves, including on the composition of our workforce and the impact that this has on the quality of journalism. This risks both the hypocrisy of ranks – detrimental to confidence levels already affected – and the inertia of improvement.
At PressPad, we often discuss the solution that could counter this trend: reporting. An independent body or commission would ensure that the media understand their responsibility and stick to long-term goals.
However, we are not starting from scratch. Many initiatives led by charities in the industry already exist, such as the John Schofield Trust, PressPadthe NCTJs Journalism Diversity Fund and the Media Trust.
Finding a home for such a commission is a moot point without industry buy-in and commitment.
Secure and well-funded entry-level jobs, offering real opportunities outside of London and practical support for aspiring journalists to apply and pursue these opportunities, such as mentoring and peer mentoring, and accommodation expenses , travel and per diems are just the beginning.
Monitoring and updating their progress by publishing data related to employees’ socio-economic background and social mobility networks to provide a steady stream of relevant field solutions to management is the next step, once this pool of established talent.
“There are good intentions at the top, but there is a challenge in implementation,” Shah says.
Nor is it an impossible task. It just requires real media engagement and not just half-hearted, limited words and actions. Other industries in the creative sector are ahead of us, it’s time to catch up.
Camille Dupont is a French journalist trained at the NCTJ who works with PressPad on improving diversity and inclusion in the media.
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