Guardian Media Group owner The Scott Trust has expanded its bursary scheme which promotes diversity in the media.
The Trust’s six postgraduate newspaper journalism bursaries now include a course in online journalism. In addition the Trust is also funding two new postgraduate bursaries in broadcast journalism and a further two in technology.
Under the deal the Trust pays for tuition fees and offers a subsistence allowance of £5,000. Students are able to gain work experience within GMG which owns The Guardian, Guardian.co.uk, The Observer and the Manchester Evening News and its weekly newspapers and radio stations. A total of 10 bursaries are being offered this year.
The Trust aims to offer most of its awards to ethnic minority backgrounds while the technology bursaries are aimed at females.
Dame Liz Forgan, chair of the Scott Trust, says: ‘We all recognise that certain groups of people – particularly those from minority ethnic backgrounds – are under-represented in media…As a result we are missing out on a great pool of talent and are less able to reflect the needs and interests of the public we are supposed to serve.
‘Initiatives such as the Scott Trust bursary scheme are a step in the right direction, but there is a great deal of work still to be done.’
The journalism courses are based at City University (London), Goldsmiths College, University of London, the University of Sheffield and Leeds Trinity & All Saints and the technology courses are based at Birkbeck, University of London and University College London (UCL).
The Scott Trust is also funding five places on the NCTJ Journalism Diversity Fund which offers bursaries and the payment of course fees.
Details of how to apply for the bursaries can be found on the Scott Trust website: www.gmgplc.co.uk/ScottTrust. The closing date for applications is 9 March, 2008.
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