Empoword Journalism’s very own Maddy Raine and Sophie Wilson hosted a producers panel with Elly Blake and Priscilla Ng’ethe on Thursday 17th December.
We were joined by Elly Blake, a text reporter for Sky News, and Priscilla Ng’ethe, a broadcast journalist for BBC Africa.
Both Elly and Priscilla gave an insight into the world of journalism and how they have navigated there way through reporting to producing.
For many, the pandemic has had a dramatic impact on their job, relationships, and livelihood. Nine months down the line and the pandemic is still topical for us all, with the media industry being no different.
For Priscilla, the pandemic has made her and her colleagues jump out of the traditional ways of reporting by finding new ways to inform. Priscilla is an advocate of creativity, urging journalists to move with the times, something this pandemic has certainly encouraged us all to do. Priscilla focused on how we must all strive to be innovative in this constantly fluctuating world.
Elly, on the other hand, provided more of an emphasis on just how consuming the news really is, with this pandemic making her slow down more with the need to switch off. Rather than taking her work home with her, Elly chooses to completely switch off, avoiding news outlets on her days off. As a text producer for Sky News, this initially appears whimsical, reinforcing the pressures that this pandemic has inflicted upon the world and the need to remove ourselves from its tragedy and negativity whenever possible.
This year has been a lot harder for young journalists to get their foot in the door. For Elly however, she did not know what she wanted to do after leaving university and has found that there are a lot less jobs advertised for production roles. Elly has only been producing for a limited time, having left her previous role as a journalist before joining Sky News’ production team. Whilst Elly is fairly new to the production industry, she is excited for the future and the challenges that will come with this new role.
Priscilla shared how her love and passion for storytelling paved the way for her path into production, emphasising the importance of student media in giving students opportunities. When asked how she entered her role with BBC Africa, Priscilla revealed how little quirks within each and every one of us can make all the difference between a successful application and one that does not quite make the cut.
Throughout their talk, Elly and Priscilla shared their enthusiasm for this industry and their tips for young journalists:
- To stand out, show how interested you are whilst always expressing how you will be a good fit for the team, bringing in elements from your personal life.
- Get used to a ‘no’, this will make you more resilient
- Learn to grow a thick skin and be prepared for set backs in the industry
It was such a pleasure to speak to both Elly and Priscilla, both in which have very different roles in the media industry. Despite their differences however, this pandemic has encouraged more similarities than differences between the two, emphasising how the media industry is consequently now in constant flux.
Most importantly, no matter what element of the media and journalism industry you want to go into, you must know your worth and have both a passion and determination for what you do.
If you missed our workshop, you can catch up below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCjz-02vf2o
Neve GF