The healthcare knowledge provider and publisher of The BMJ will contribute financially and actively participate in the JDF’s mentoring programme by giving successful candidates the opportunity to gain insights into the specialised branch of journalism.
Chris Jones, BMJ Chief Executive Officer, said: “At BMJ, our vision is to help create a healthier world for all. We know that to fulfil that vision, we need to identify with the communities we support. That’s why we are delighted that this partnership allows us to directly impact underrepresented groups of people in a positive way.”
Will Gore, Head of Partnerships and Projects at the NCTJ, added “It is brilliant to welcome the BMJ as a supporter of the JDF, as we work together to ensure that people can get access to professional journalism training, whatever their background. We love introducing people to the wide variety of opportunities in the industry and are hugely looking forward to connecting the students we support with the BMJ’s highly specialised form of journalism.
The growth of the JDF in the last couple of years has demonstrated the considerable commitment from our sector to diversify newsrooms. The track record of the scheme speaks for itself, and it’s great that so many employers – who will ultimately benefit from the talent of JDF alumni – are offering their support.”
The JDF was established in 2005, funded by an annual grant from NLA media access. Since then, it has enabled more than 400 people from disadvantaged backgrounds to undertake professional journalism training on NCTJ-accredited courses. In 2020 alone, the JDF offered assistance to a record 59 individuals due to the generous financial support from a growing number of media partners, says the organisation.
The Journalism Diversity Fund is now supported financially by 19 media organisations: 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 and Yahoo UK.
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