Society of Editors pledges support for NCTJ’s Journalism Diversity Fund

The Society of Editors is today announced as the latest sponsor of the NCTJ’s Journalism Diversity Fund (JDF).

The Society becomes the third supporter to come on board this month, and the seventh new supporter in 2021.

The fund’s establishment was first announced at the Society of Editors’ conference in 2005, and since its launch, the JDF has enabled more than 400 people from diverse backgrounds to undertake NCTJ journalism training on accredited courses.

Joanne Butcher, chief executive of the NCTJ, said: “It’s heartening to see the Society of Editors making an increased commitment to diversity and inclusion by making its first donation to the Journalism Diversity Fund.

“Making a financial contribution strengthens that commitment to work with us as we expand the support we can offer to prospective journalists.

“We know only too well from our recent research how much further the industry has to go to be genuinely diverse and inclusive, which is why we have been working hard to encourage more media organisations to back our tried and trusted scheme.”

The NCTJ announced an ambitious goal at the start of 2020 of raising the annual value of the fund to half a million pounds. Since then, the JDF has welcomed nine new sponsors and is close to meeting its target.

A spokesperson for the Society of Editors said: “The Society is delighted to be making a donation to the Journalism Diversity Fund, which does fantastic work in enabling under-represented talent to unlock a career in journalism.

“Furthermore, our work on a Diversity and Inclusion Resource Hub will aim to boost the opportunities for both aspiring and current journalists to progress in their chosen careers.”

The NCTJ’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion is now at the heart of its development strategy and runs through the charity’s mission and objectives, as detailed in a piece written by Joanne Butcher for the British Journalism Review last month.

The Journalism Diversity Fund is now supported financially by 21 organisations: Aziz Foundation, BBC, Bloomberg, BMJ, CNN International, DMG Media, Dow Jones, Financial Times, Google News Initiative, Insider Inc, ITV News, Newsquest, News UK, NLA media access, PA Media, The Printing Charity, Reach plc, Reuters, Sky, Society of Editors and Yahoo UK.

Click here to find out more about the Journalism Diversity Fund.