The conference was the latest in a series of events that reached out to 16-18 year-olds around Britain and Ireland who are hoping to forge a career in the media.
News UK welcomed students from schools around the capital at its Wapping headquarters for a busy day of networking, debates and talks. It was opened by Guto Harri, News UK’s Director of Communications and a former BBC political correspondent, and the Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes. Hughes will be News UK’s local MP when the company moves to its brand new offices at London Bridge in July.
Students then participated in panel discussions, a Q&A session, and practical exercises with an eclectic mix of journalists who offered a wide range of expertise. Whatever the students’ passions – whether sports, showbiz or social media – there was probably something to pique their interest. Highlights of the day included talks and debates with:
John Witherow, Editor of The Times
Emma Tucker, Deputy Editor of The Times
Philip Collins, Chief Leader Writer of The Times
Robert Crampton, Columnist at The Times
Eleanor Mills, Editorial Director of The Sunday Times
Dan Wootton, Head of Showbiz of The Sun
David Wooding, Assistant Political Editor of The Sun on Sunday
Ben Whitelaw, Communities Editor of The Times and Sunday Times
James Manning, Social Editor of The Sun
Simon Hughes MP: “Southwark and Bermondsey has a very long political tradition. Members of Parliament have been elected in Southwark since 1295. The activities of all the MPs before me will have been reported in many different ways. But I doubt that ever before were there as many people and different forms of media reporting on Southwark’s elected representatives.
“The good thing is that journalism and the media are now available to more people than ever before. The age of the internet, community websites like SE1, community newspapers like Southwark News, regional papers like the Evening Standard and national papers like the Financial Times – all with links to my constituency – now make news reporting more diverse and more democratic than ever before.”
The students tackled current issues, including the future of news in a digital age and the responsibilities of a free press. The students themselves then chatted in small groups with individual journalists for a round of quick fire questions.
Simon Hughes added: “Many of the best journalists benefit from learning their skills from those who have learnt before, so I welcome the initiative of a News Academy coming to London Bridge later this year, to join the London College of Communication based at the Elephant & Castle, which will give additional opportunities to the journalists of today and tomorrow to learn their trade, whether it is to report on barge races on the Thames or civil war in the Middle East.”
John Witherow, the Editor of The Times, said: "The pace of change for newspapers in the digital era is a challenge for the whole industry. But despite this revolution enveloping the written word, world-class journalism remains core. That's why it is vital that we invest in the next generation of journalists. I’m proud to be part of the News Academy and hope that the students will be inspired by what they learn here today."
Nawel Seksaf, 15, Harris Academy, Bermondsey said: "We all write about the subjects that we're most curious about every week for own journalism blog, Scribes of Southwark, every week. As a group, we have a range of really different interests, like feminism, local issues or politics. We're all looking forward to getting to talk to the journalists themselves."
Josephine Wilkinson, 16 of the Harris Academy South Norwood said: "I am hoping to find out how journalism works from day to day, and I love photography so I am really interested in that aspect too. For me, I'm looking forward to making contacts and chatting to as many different journalists as possible. It's very cool to meet in these surroundings too."
Kasper Koo, 15 of the Harris Academy Falconwood said: "I think of journalism as all about meeting new people and communicating widely as possible with the public and those two skills are something that I'm really interested in exploring today."
