2023 Fellow Debbie Luxon has been named one of six finalists for the Young Journalist of the Year category in the Society of Editors’ annual awards
Her nomination is based on her extensive feature and investigative reporting skills. The judges were particularly impressed with her work detailing the death of Carol Kovacs in Aberystwyth harbour in June and the link to the huge homelessness issue facing the region. Additionally, her investigation into cancer treatment waiting times—exposing the critical delays patients face—was a cornerstone of her nomination.
2023 Fellow Elle Farrell-Kingsley awarded a Tech100 Women award for research and reporting into the tech industry
The award ceremony takes place in November and Elle is the only journalist on the prestigious winners list. She has also been busy filming content about her cultural experiences travelling across China for Hebei University of Technology, which has been a fun change of reporting from my usual tech content.
2022 Fellow Nimra Shahid has won the Emerging Talent prize from the European Journalism Centre and the Google News Initiative in their climate journalism awards
The award recognises The Bureau of Investigative Journalism story, which unpacks the roles of banks like Santander and HSBC in enabling the fossil fuel industry. Nimra said “As a freelancer, this means a huge deal and hope this creates ground to continue producing this kind of journalism. Thank you so much to John Schofield Trust for introducing me to the invaluable wizardry of Megha Rajagopalan and Maryam Ahmed whose mentorship has been such a help at this early stage in my career.”
2024 Student Fellow Katie Heath graduated from University of Salford and has since landed two new roles.
Katie graduated in July and has secured two roles as a reporter at Hits Radio (Bauer Media Group) and as a social video journalist for Reach PLC at the Liverpool Echo.
2024 student fellow Lauren Cameron from Edinburgh Napier spent the day at STV with her mentor Andrew Browne
She said “It was fantastic to meet the team, and gain an insight into how a leading broadcasting organisation operates. A huge thank you to my John Schofield Trust mentor, Andrew Browne, for helping to arrange this, and of course to the team at STV for their warm welcome.”
2024 Early Career fellow Rose Morelli debut piece in the I paper on how Brits are getting ruder and how to handle an aggressive stranger
Rose explores a timely and thought-provoking topic: the growing trend of rudeness in Britain and practical strategies for handling aggressive strangers.
Read the piece here
Senior Fellow Roohi Hasan from ITV news wins mentoring award from social mobility charity
ITV News senior producer Roohi Hasan has been named ‘Mentor of the Year’ at the UK Social Mobility Awards. Roohi is Co-Chair of the ITN Social Mobility Network and has also been involved with the John Schofield Trust and the Prince’s Trust for many years.
At the awards ceremony last night Roohi said “It is such an honour to even be nominated for an important cause like advancing social mobility and mentoring, let alone win. I would encourage anyone to mentor if you can, as you are not just making a life-changing difference to so many young people, who may have the ability, but sadly not the opportunity, it is also such a fulfilling experience for mentors too.”
2023 Fellow Amrit Singh Mann wins ‘Higher Apprentice of the Year’ at the National Apprenticeship and Skills Awards.
Amrit said he was ‘honoured’ to be awarded ‘Higher Apprentice of the Year’ at the the National Apprenticeship and Skills Awards and praised apprenticeships as “the future and a great way to kickstart certain careers.” Amrit is a journalist at Sky News.
The National Apprenticeship and Skills Awards 2024 celebrate excellence in apprenticeship programs, recognising individuals, employers, and educational institutions that have made outstanding contributions to skills development. Hosted by the Department for Education, this event highlights the achievements of apprentices, skills champions, and employers across the UK.
More information is here
Senior Fellow Vicky Gayle wins anti-slavery day award
Vicky has received her first ever award. She was shortlisted for the Anti-Slavery Day Awards in the category of Best Investigative News Article for her work with The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
The nomination also includes 2024 Fellow Hajar Meddah who worked on the story alongside Vicky.
The nominated article, “Visa System Forces Care Workers to Stay Silent on Rape and Abuse,” co-authored with Emiliano Mellino, Hajar Meddah, and Charles Boutaud, sheds light on the pressing issue of modern slavery within the care sector.
You can read the impactful piece here: The Bureau Investigates.
Senior Fellow Amar Mehta has been shortlisted for Sports Journalist of the Year at the Asian Media awards
The Asian Media Awards celebrate excellence and diversity within the UK media industry, focusing on the achievements of professionals from South Asian backgrounds. Since their launch in 2013, the awards have highlighted the contributions of journalists, content creators, broadcasters, and media professionals across various categories, including journalism, TV, radio, digital media, and creative arts.
Read more here
2023 Fellow Marcia Veiga upcoming audio episode for the BBC’s World Service Witness History
The episode features the remarkable story of Angolan singer and former athlete José Adelino Barceló de Carvalho, better known as Bonga Kwenda, who was forced into exile and went on to record his debut album while away from his homeland.
Listen here
2024 Fellow Will Hollis presents the bulletins on GB News
Will is currently the East Midlands Reporter at GB News, he has been there for the past three years. He took up the role of writing, video editing and presenting the bulletins after support from his Senior Fellow Mark Wray (former BBC and PA).
Will said “Presenting the bulletins on GB News has been a career highlight. Working with my mentor from the John Schofield Trust, I have been able to improve my skills, expand my role, and build my profile. The guidance from Mark Wray and the Trust has been invaluable as an early career journalist. I am reaching milestone and achieving goals at great pace through the fellowship.”
2024 Fellow Srosh Khan moves to BBC Asian Network News
Srosh has left BBC Sport for a short while to join BBC Asian Network in Birmingham. He says: “Loved Salford (not the weather) but I am excited to get stuck in and learn a lot more about the art of radio. Still getting used to the Brum accent though!”
2024 Fellow Owen Thompson has had a standout season as Assistant Producer at ITV’s Good Morning Britain
Owen has contributed to covering major stories such as the UEFA Euros in Germany, the prestigious PFA Awards, and Russell Cook’s incredible achievement of running across Africa. He also contributed to the research and case studies towards Susanna Reid’s sit down interview with the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.
2024 Fellow Bethany Lee establishes Allegedly Me(dia): a multimedia website with explainers, news, and features all about the rise of nonconsensual sexual deepfakes.
Bethany says “In January, I opened X and saw explicit AI-generated “deepfake images” of Taylor Swift on my feed. I was shocked, and I felt an immediate need to know more… Who else is this happening to? How common or easy is it to create and find these images? What can I, as a journalist, do? So, I made Allegedly Me(dia): a multimedia website with explainers, news, and features all about the rise of nonconsensual sexual deepfakes.”
Follow her work here
2024 Fellow Charles Deane launches The Woodpecker Workshops YouTube channel teaching children creative writing, journalism and photography
This unique project is dedicated to teaching children the essentials of creative writing, journalism, and photography, making these skills accessible and engaging for young minds. The channel was created in collaboration with Charles’s friend Oliver Heath, and their initiative is proudly sponsored by the Woodland Trust after their successful pitch earlier this year.
You can follow their YouTube here and they are on Instagram too here