Bloomberg’s UK 2021 Journalism Diversity Program Kicks Off

Bloomberg today begins the global 2021 Journalism Diversity Program in the U.K. with the Department of Journalism at City, University of London in partnership with UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, and a record number of Bloomberg fellows from Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Led by senior Bloomberg journalists and executives, Bloomberg Journalism fellows are instructed in The Bloomberg Way:  the guide for Bloomberg journalists on reporting, editing and applied business and economic knowledge. Participants learn to demonstrate that the story of the economy, business and markets is best achieved when the focus is on the greatest diversity of participants.

There are 20 participants in the UK program. The Journalism Diversity Program in the Americas took place in May with 30 participants and is in partnership with UNC Hussman School of Journalism and UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

The 2021 program has the largest cohort to date.

“Journalism is about who is asking the questions,” said Matt Winkler, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Bloomberg News. “We also know that if everyone asking the questions looks alike and sounds alike, there is little chance of explaining the world as it really is. This is why we created the Bloomberg Journalism Diversity Program.”

“Helping to diversify the intake into the news media is one of the most important roles for Journalism schools,” said Dr. Paul Lashmar, Head of the Department of Journalism, City, University of London.  “Journalism must reflect the society to give voice to previously little heard voices if democracy is to prevail. Diverse voices in financial and business journalism helps engage all the public in understanding the economy and recognizing the economy is not an abstraction but something we all need to understand and influence. Clearly this is a very strong cohort for the program, and I thank both Bloomberg and UNC for initiating and running this program.”

Bloomberg Journalism Diversity Programs are part of Bloomberg’s larger Global Business and Financial Journalism Education Initiative, which aims to advance business journalism and provide career opportunities for journalists from diverse backgrounds around the world. Bloomberg’s 29 journalism programs include post-graduate Master’s Degree in Business Journalism, a six-month post-graduate Executive Training Program in business and financial reporting, community based programs to introduce students to careers in journalism, and a one-week immersive course in business reporting. With support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and other international funders, Bloomberg Global Business and Financial Journalism Education Initiative furthers our corporate philanthropic mission to address inequities, support diverse voices, and expand access to education using the expertise of our employees and resources of our business to create lasting impact.

Bloomberg is committed to diversity in the newsroom, at every level in its workforce, and in its content. In 2018, Bloomberg launched the New Voices initiative to increase the representation of women and minority executives as sources in both online and on-air content. The program initially began with the establishment of a definitive global list of female experts in finance and business, a system to track diverse sourcing, and the funding of media training for top women executives in global cities. In 2020, the program expanded to include a cohort of Black executives of all gender identities and in 2021, it will expand to include a cohort of Latinx executives of all gender identities.

###

About Bloomberg
Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, gives influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas. The company’s strength – delivering data, news and analytics through innovative technology, quickly and accurately – is at the core of the Bloomberg Terminal. Bloomberg’s enterprise solutions build on the company’s core strength: leveraging technology to allow customers to access, integrate, distribute and manage data and information across organizations more efficiently and effectively. For more information, visit Bloomberg.com/company