The Creative Collective Media Ltd – www.thecreativecollective.com
Programme Description:
Within the public domain it has been widely acknowledged that ethnic diversity is not an area that the United Kingdom print media have paid a lot of attention to. The most recent statistics (2002) have shown that 4% of staff in newsrooms is from BAME backgrounds.
The National Print Media Internship scheme began by creating a dialogue between previously disparate key players – journalism schools, publications and journalism unions – to understand what sort of plan was needed to tackle the problems BAME students might face when trying to enter the media – particularly the print media. Newspapers were assessed to determine whether they were ready to take the issue and the scheme seriously. An agreement that all participating editors would share what they learnt was established.
Once the issues had been highlighted and agreements made an internship programme was created and students from BAME backgrounds were shortlisted and interviewed for a placement of 6 months at a newspaper or magazine. During their placement they had regular meetings with their editor and external mentor, where all parties attempted to learn from each other’s experiences.
A media awareness campaign was launched simultaneously with the project. This was essential. Editors needed to know how to proceed with the scheme and this meant being aware of the obstacles faced by people from a BAME background. The Creative Collective took every opportunity to involve and educate as many people as possible. All departments within a media organisation, from Human Resources, Advertising, Training, Editorial and Senior Management teams must be involved for the model to work independently after the scheme was completed. Without buy in “from the top down” the scheme would never work long term.
Challenge:
A belief that there are not enough suitable candidates from BAME backgrounds to choose from when recruiting staff.
Solution:
Prove this theory is incorrect by choosing highly motivated and talented young people to take part. It became clear after the first year of the project that this claim was un-founded.
Impact and Success Stories:
- Over 60% of interns went on to and still have a career in the media.
- Featured as a model of good practice in the Society of Editors Diversity in the Newsroom (2004) report.
- Goldsmiths University, in partnership with The Financial Times, established a diversity bursary fund for BAME students to enable them to complete their studies.
- The model has since been adapted for the Public Relations industry and is now run on a rolling basis at the Transport for London press office.
Quotes:
“The Internship achieved its aims by not only raising awareness of the lack of ethnic diversity in newsrooms and press offices across the United Kingdom, but has attracted a diverse range of candidates, led the interns to gain employment and change in somenewspapers attitudes and practices”. Creative Collective
“We didn’t have a name, blame and shame culture so cultural misperceptions were dealt with openly and in an informed way”. Creative Collective
