The John Schofield Trust exists to empower the next generation of diverse & talented journalists with mentoring, network-building and upskilling. Our goal is to make newsrooms more representative of the audiences they serve, and we do this by primarily helping those without pre-existing connections.
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People from low-income and marginalised backgrounds find it hard to break into the journalism sector. They face barriers to enter journalism because of structural disadvantage – economic, social or otherwise. Research has shown that the news industry is unrepresentative of the UK population. As a result, the industry poorly serves the needs of democracy and civic debate, because news programmes made by a small proportion of the population do not give a full picture of our society.
The Trust is highly respected in the UK and Irish news industry for providing targeted and individual support for early career journalists who do not have existing connections or the privilege to break into a career in journalism. In the coming year we plan to target two new areas where we believe support is critically needed but not currently available: those who are on their journey to lead and manage within newsrooms and independent creators who do not have the support of a wider newsroom.