Exclusive webinar with top Bloomberg journalists held for Journalism Diversity Fund bursary recipients

Top Bloomberg journalists held an exclusive event for Journalism Diversity Fund (JDF) recipients.

On Wednesday, 8 May, students had the opportunity to pose questions to Anna Edwards, TV anchor and acting London bureau chief for Bloomberg, and Jonathan Browning, senior reporter and deputy bureau chief for Bloomberg News, on a special webinar event.

Speaking about Bloomberg’s work all over the world, Jonathan said: “The big thing is simply that we value accuracy above all. It’s not news if it’s not true.”

The attendees also met a recent Journalism Diversity Fund alumna, Charlotte Ryan, who is now an aviation reporter at Bloomberg News.

Charlotte said: “Firstly, and I think this is important when you’re coming from the JDF, is to embrace your diversity.

“It can be quite hard when you go into a newsroom, especially when it’s not as diverse, [because there is a pressure] to try and fit in with everyone else, to not speak up when the angle of a story or the way things are being portrayed feels a little bit off.

“But I would say try your best not to do that…Feel free to speak up – it will make you a better journalist, and it will make your newsroom better as well.”

The JDF awards bursaries to people from diverse backgrounds who need help funding their NCTJ journalism training.

The financial support can be used to cover the costs of studying for the Diploma in Journalism either as a standalone qualification or as part of a Master’s degree course, including course fees and living expenses.

There have been more than 550 recipients since the fund launched in 2005.

Since 2018, JDF recipients have also been paired with a working journalist to mentor them during their studies.

Recipients are matched with a mentor from one of the media organisations which financially back the scheme, with the NCTJ endeavouring to pair mentors and mentees on the basis of shared interests.

Supporters include Bloomberg, as well as the Aziz Foundation, BMJ, the BBC, CNN, DMG Media, Dow Jones, the FT, the Football Writers’ Association, Channel 4 News, Insider, ITV News, Journalists’ Charity, Newsquest, News UK, PA Media, Printing Charity, Reach PLC, Reuters, Sky, ITN, Channel 5 News and Yahoo News UK.

Nikki Akinola, senior diversity and inclusion co-ordinator at the NCTJ, said: “Thank you very much to Anna, Jonathan, Charlotte and everyone at Bloomberg who made this event possible.

“It was a fantastic webinar which was really valuable to the JDF recipients who attended.”

There are four deadlines to apply for a JDF bursary each year, in line with the start dates of NCTJ-accredited courses.

This year, the remaining deadlines are at 5pm on 19 June, 31 July and 6 November.

Find out more here.