Firstly, thank you for subscribing and for putting your blind trust in me! I really hope that this weekly newsletter will help provide some help and comfort to others who are trying to establish a career as a journalist in the middle of a global pandemic.
My focus throughout will be on life as a journalist when you don’t live in London – because as those of you who follow me on Twitter will probably already know, I recently moved back in with my parents in Sheffield. I am going to be living ‘oop North for the foreseeable, and so I want to use my platform to spotlight the amazing journalistic talent that the North has to offer.
Each week I’m going to give you a short overview of what I’ve been up to, providing links to some of the best articles I’ve written, read or edited, and then I’ll also include a few journalism events and opportunities that I think look interesting and any relevant non-London job listings.
A little bit more about me
I’m a 24-year-old from Sheffield, UK, with a keen interest in music, media and culture. I have an English Literature degree from the University of Oxford, and I got my gold-standard NCTJ diploma with the help of News Associates in January 2020.
I had interviews for two editorial graduate schemes this year, but I sadly didn’t get a place on either. Resolving not to give up, I’ve decided to launch this project to facilitate a frank and honest conversation about success and failure in the world of journalism. Imposter syndrome is such a pervasive problem, and it’s often easy to think you’re the only one feeling like you don’t know what you’re doing. I think the more we talk about it, the more others will start to feel reassured that we’re all in the same boat.
I’m still in the early stages of becoming a professional journalist; I’ve only had one paid commission so far, everything else has been written for the exposure. I love running my website The Indiependent, but it is very much a passion project and not something I can afford to do full-time – it’s run out of my childhood bedroom, in the hours I can squeeze around sleeping, eating and doing my day job.
So many people whose passion is journalism (especially freelancers) have jobs in parallel industries such as PR or Marketing to help keep the lights on. I’m no different – during the week I work in Marketing & Comms for an international education provider called SAE, which teaches 2-year creative media degrees. It’s a really rewarding job that has allowed me to meet lots of amazing creatives. Here’s a profile I did a while back on Mike Cave, a Liverpool-based mixer/producer who worked on Lewis Capaldi’s album Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent.
So now that you know a bit more about me, what I’m interested in and what I do, here’s what this update will normally look like:
My week
… in editing
This week, The Indiependent’s festive issue went to print (get your copy here). It’s a 68-page magazine packed full of Music, Books, Film, TV, Gaming, Theatre, Opinion and Lifestyle content, with all articles produced by the site’s voluntary contributor team of budding writers.
I adored editing this issue and I know everyone who purchases a copy will be blown away by the quality. Some of my favourite pieces are a personal essay on having a sibling with autism at Christmas, and a great feature on the versatility of theatre in 2020. For those of you interested in learning more about how to launch your own magazine, you can check out this article I wrote earlier this year.
… in writing
Pitches: 0
Commissions: 0
Articles written: 0
I didn’t write anything this week because of the aforementioned print deadline, but I’m going to put pen to paper – or rather, fingers to keys – next week!
… in listening/watching
I went to a lecture on ‘Silicon Valley and the future of capitalism’ on Tuesday, because technology and data ethics fascinate me. I summarised some of the key takeaways from the speaker Nicole Aschoff, author of The Smartphone Society, on Twitter:
I also attended The Guardian’s event with Salli Hughes and Caitlin Moran on Thursday. Although I haven’t yet got round to reading her new book, More Than A Woman, Moran had my Mum and I in stitches as she recounted how her dog regularly gets jealous when she’s having a “maintenance shag” with her husband. It was a funny and frank discussion – you don’t really expect anything less from Moran – but perhaps the most interesting aspect of the talk was the observation that men really don’t have many ways to express themselves if they want to be sexy for their partner. Not gonna lie, it kind of left me wanting to buy all the men in my life a bunch of flowers.
… in reading
I enjoyed Chris Stokel-Walker’s piece for Business Insider on how social media innovation is dead.
I loved Joseph Longo’s piece ‘How the pandemic made gossip essential again’ - and if you’re interested in politics then I strongly recommend Marie Le Conte’s book ‘Haven't You Heard? Gossip, Politics and Power’
The School of Journalism included The Indiependent in their list of the best places to pitch freelance journalism articles, which is a massive honour. There are some great publications to pitch to on this list, especially if you’re at the beginning of your writing career.
I’m currently reading Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library, which is about living with regrets and wondering ‘what might have been’ if you’d have made one decision differently. As someone with anxiety, I am often guilty of ruminating about my decision making late at night – so it’s funny to see a novel using it as a plot construct.
Upcoming events
Next week I’m going to this magazine feature writing workshop on Thursday 26 November with Sirin Kale (The Guardian G2, Vice, Wired, GQ, British Vogue) and Terri White (Empire Magazine)
I’m also attending a Jericho Writers event with Ruth Ware and Holly Seddon on Friday 27 November. If you’re interested in creative writing (short stories or fiction) then I can recommend their membership. It’s £30 a month which seems a bit pricey, but this includes access to lots of useful writing workshops and webinars.
Opportunities
Birmingham: Spark44 is looking for a Content Editor on an 8 month FTC
Birmingham/Liverpool: Caters Media Group is looking for Journalists to join its editorial teams
Colchester: Newsquest is looking for a Court and Crime Reporter
Howden: Press Association has a Junior Journalist Apprentice - Sport role
Manchester: Manchester Evening News need a Social Media Editor, Football
Manchester: Local TV is looking for a Broadcast Journalist, paying £18-21K a year
Manchester: By Gamers for Gamers is looking for a PC & Tech Digital PR Executive, paying £21.5K a year
Manchester: Orange & Gray is looking for a Copywriter & Content Assistant
Manchester: KOMI Group is looking for a Social Media Coordinator (TikTok/Instagram)
Manchester: LADbible is looking for a Social Editor for SPORTbible
Salford: In the Style Fashion is looking for a Copywriter & Marketing Executive
Liverpool: Liverpool Echo is looking for a Social Media Editor, Football
Yorkshire: Brook Street is looking for a Website Content Editor - one for anyone with HTML skillz
Huddersfield: INFUSEmedia is looking for a remote English copywriter
Nottingham: Express Recruitment is looking for a Commercial Content Writer to work with a leading digital company
Glasgow: News UK is looking for a Sub Editor
Edinburgh: Twinkl has a remote working opportunity for a Digital Copywriter, paying £18-20K DOE
If you’re a Northern journalist and you’d like to put forward your work for inclusion or you’ve spotted a cool event or opportunity I’ve missed, please email me on beth.kirkbride@gmail.com
Happy writing!
PS) If you like this newsletter, please tell your friends to subscribe! You can also Tweet me @BettyKirkers
PPS) If you’re wondering why I called this newsletter The Peak District, it’s because, well, I live near the Peak District. But also because ‘peak’ is a word that means being at the very top of your game, but also it’s slang for something not being very good. Which sort of sums up how I feel about my journalism career sometimes…