In 2020, News UK launched its first diversity strategy, and set out the big mission to achieve 50/50 gender split and 20% ethnic minority representation at all levels of the organisation. At the strategy launch, we were at 36% female representation and 9% ethnic minority representation. The proportion of females employed across News UK has steadily increased to 42%, and our ethnic minority representation is now 11%. The desired outcome of our strategy is to create a more diverse News UK, that is future fit, more innovative and an attractive employer with new business opportunities.
We have launched 85 two-year-long apprenticeships since 2020 – 63% of apprentices are female; 45% of apprentices are from ethnic minority backgrounds; and 10% of apprentices have a disability. We were the first media brand to partner with Kickstart, creating 65 paid internships for unemployed young people, many of whom have gone on to permanent employment at News UK. We have established partnerships with a range of diversity recruitment specialists and have developed leadership programmes for people from diverse backgrounds, as well as introducing diversity experts across our brands. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer.
News UK now has 13 employee led networks which provide support and visibility for those from diverse backgrounds. These networks are given the support and funding from the company in order to run conferences, training sessions and networking events. We have networks covering religion, sexuality, ethnicity, age and gender.
Our networks include:
The African and Caribbean Society
The Apprentice Society
The Christian Fellowship
The Disability Network
Gen Z
The Jewish Network
The Muslim Network
News for Parents and Carers
News Is Out
The Sustainability Network
Women In News
Women In Tech
News UK runs an extensive outreach programme each year. In 2024 News UK is proud to have officially partnered with several charities including, but not limited to, We Are Black Journos, Black Collective Of Media In Sport, The Aziz Foundation, Talent Tap and many more. Our team works with each charity partner to deliver a programme of workshops, masterclasses and work experience placements in order to support and attract diverse talent seeking a career in journalism. Additionally we facilitate multiple university visits throughout the year, connecting young journalists with our editorial staff. Between January 2024 – April 2024 around 400 students have engaged with our outreach initiatives.
