Remi Reports is embarking on a new series whereby we commission one article per month by a freelance creative about a topic related to their industry. If you would like to write as part of this series, please pitch your idea to [email protected]. The pay rate is 10p per word with a maximum of 500 words. Freelance journalist, Yasmin Neal is the first to start off the series. Read her opinion piece, below.
Between 2018 to 2021 the number of working journalists in the UK increased from 78,000 to 108,000, according to the NCTJ’s May 2022 ‘Diversity in Journalism report. However, despite this rapid growth, journalism continues to be just a pipe dream for many It is ranked the second most exclusive profession in the UK as shown in Elitist Britain’s 2019 report.
Astonishingly, the NCTJ report illustrates that diversity in social class is actually declining in Journalism. Between 2020 to 2021, the number of journalists coming from elite backgrounds has actually grown from 75% to 80%. This solidifies the media’s echo chamber of privilege.
As a working class woman, I have always doubted the power and value of my voice. Growing up, the representation of working class individuals in the media was hardly inspiring. Years later when picking where to apply to university, I remember factoring in places I would feel comfortable – where my working class identity wouldn’t make me feel smaller.
During my degree, I remember attending a seminar where everyone was from London, except me. I felt the divide in that room. Most vividly, in our final year, a friend suggested I use my parents’ connections to get a good job post-graduation, as they had. It was like it was a given, not a privilege, to be so easily given this step up.
Since inadvertently starting my journey as a freelance writer in 2020 after needing an outlet for my feelings, I have learned a lot. The class divide and lack of diversity in Journalism is startling, and it isn’t getting better.
My time writing will always be limited by my need to simultaneously work full-time. My experiences by only accepting the opportunities I can literally afford to take. But one piece of advice I have for aspiring marginalised writers it would be this – find your community.
Connecting with those around you is vital, especially when you’re from a marginalised community. The unfortunate reality is, that unless you’re white and middle class, you won’t find your peers within the mass media. The industry won’t make you feel like you belong.
Unfortunately, the phrase ‘diversity in journalism’ is still used to show where the industry is falling short, rather than celebrate the myriad of voices in the industry. So make sure you always have people who remind you that your voice holds just as much value as anyone else’s.
The journalism industry still hasn’t got the message that diversity, especially in this industry, is a strength. Tokenistic and hollow attempts at diversity, such as The Guardian’s 2023 positive action scheme offering a two-week unpaid internships to BAME applicants, are frankly insulting.
Unpaid internships are morally reprehensible regardless. But erecting economic barriers in a scheme trying to attract diversity during a cost-of-living crisis shows how completely out of touch the media are with the general population. Funding two weeks unpaid in London (minus their generous offer of covering expenses for lunch and travel of course) is just not feasible for the vast majority. Social class is not just being neglected in diversity schemes. It is explicitly used as a barrier.
Until the hurdles facing working-class journalists are truly recognised and understood, the elite will have ownership of the industry. Diversity without the inclusion of socioeconomic barriers is meaningless. Identifying one diversity indicator while neglecting another is nonsensical. Intersectionality is not a new concept and we shouldn’t be treating it like it is.
Unless our diversity caters to all the ways someone is marginalised we are not doing enough. We aren’t even doing the bare minimum. It is time to stop expecting working-class journalists to navigate an obstacle course. Meanwhile, their middle-class counterparts are jogging along barely breaking a sweat.
Freelancing is already a lonely profession, with awkward hours, no colleagues, and friends and family rarely understanding the difficulties. Add in belonging to a marginalised group and this increases. You’re essentially trying to assimilate into an industry built on structural oppression and inequalities. The system is not designed for you to succeed, and it’s time this changed.
We need a system that celebrates diversity.; that recognises the importance of different experiences and perspectives in elevating how we see the world. More opportunities that are genuinely open to all, without socio-economic barriers. We need, and we deserve, better.
However, until we get there, and we will get there, find your support network and find your community.
Yasmin Neal’s social media:
Twitter: @yasmin_neall
Instagram: @yjadedsociety
Learn more about other freelance creatives’ journey’s here.
