We are delighted to report that in this year’s Drum Online Media Awards, our former mentee, Ayshah Tull of Channel 4 News, has won the Grand Prix/Journalist of the Year prize.

The judges said that ‘Tull represents what the future of journalism in the UK should be: she engages a younger generation with the news; she finds and tells stories from communities that are often left out of the mainstream news narrative; and she does it all with utter professionalism. She also proves that we need much more diversity in our newsrooms if we are truly to tell the stories of the country beyond the headlines we have got used to in the past.’

Ayshah was a mentee on our 2014 scheme and her mentor was Lucy West, Head of News at ITV Granada Reports (pictured right), who, like everyone at the Trust, is enormously proud.

Lucy says: ‘Ayshah’s talent and desire to give people a voice was evident from when I first met her. She was excited and keen to learn but like many young women sometimes lacked confidence, by taking her out of her comfort zone, challenging her she just grew and grew. Her judgement is sharp, she knows her audience and the stories she wants to tell. I am delighted to see her work commended at this level, it was clear to see her potential six years ago and I am so proud of her ongoing achievements on screen and off’.

Ayshah adds: ‘I’m so delighted to have been recognised by The Drum this year. Our small but perfectly formed team at Channel 4 News work tirelessly to create outstanding content. And I’d also like to thank my John Schofield Trust mentor Lucy, who continues to be a guiding light and great friend throughout my career’.