The interview Oprah Winfrey conducted with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle led to a long overdue debate in the UK about race, inclusion and representation in the media. 

The John Schofield Trust believes that broadcast newsrooms need to be as diverse as the communities they serve, and that until the UK media is properly representative, it will be unable to reflect the country accurately.

The Trust makes a difference through its two industry mentorship schemes which support early career and aspiring journalists to find ways into the industry.

In 2021, the difference we make:

• 35% of JST mentees are from minority ethnic backgrounds; this compares to 15% of UK TV and 9% of radio employees who are from minority ethnic backgrounds (OFCOM, 2020)
• 55% of JST e-mentees qualify for free school meals (FSM); there is no comparable industry FSM statistic but OFCOM reported in its annual study of diversity that 58% of employees in UK TV Industry, and 61% in radio, grew up in a professional home (OFCOM, 2020)

David Stenhouse, the Trust’s CEO, says: ‘mentees are the future of the industry. And in supporting them we are working to change the way the broadcast industry looks, sounds and reflects the changing UK’.

#NewsroomsForAll