OXFORD
OxfordGuideToCareers2017
OxfordGuideToCareers2017
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MEDIA + JOURNALISM<br />
MEDIA + JOURNALISM<br />
OLIVIER HOLMEY<br />
Journalist,<br />
Euromoney Magazine<br />
University College, BA<br />
Oriental Studies, 2010<br />
WHAT: I report on finance in the Middle<br />
East and Africa for a monthly magazine<br />
called Euromoney. I travel to those regions<br />
regularly and write both long features and<br />
shorter news pieces.<br />
WHY: I love to write, and get to do it for a<br />
living!<br />
Writing for a monthly publication means<br />
I have the time to thoroughly research<br />
my pieces, and talk to a multitude of<br />
sources for each one. Covering money in<br />
Africa and the Middle East is especially<br />
interesting as it is a great way of delving<br />
into politics, social struggles and matters<br />
of corruption. If I work hard, and get lucky,<br />
I can find things out that are of genuine<br />
interest to business people, shareholders<br />
and the general public.<br />
I read Egyptology and Ancient Near<br />
Eastern Studies, so I’m happy my work<br />
still relates to those places I have been<br />
interested in since my university days.<br />
ADVICE: Print journalism is a<br />
notoriously difficult line of work to<br />
get into. If you don’t have a clear<br />
preference in terms of specialisation,<br />
and are open to a challenge, I would<br />
recommend considering business<br />
journalism. It is one of the few<br />
areas of journalism that still hires in<br />
high numbers, and pays its writers<br />
decently. If you would like to do<br />
investigative work, business writing is<br />
particularly good: remember “follow<br />
the money”, the investigative mantra<br />
in All the Presidents’ Men.<br />
TOP TIPS: I would recommend<br />
you acquire some basic skills in<br />
journalism before applying for your<br />
first job. I say that because fewer and<br />
fewer papers have trainee schemes.<br />
The most straightforward way of<br />
acquiring those skills is by writing<br />
for a student paper. It will teach you<br />
how to interview, take notes, meet<br />
deadlines and write concise copy.<br />
Elizabeth Culliford<br />
Digital Editor, ReutersSt<br />
St Hilda’s College,<br />
BA English Language and<br />
Literature, 2014<br />
WHAT: I mainly work on our social media<br />
and live news output, which means I get<br />
to test out new ways to tell our stories<br />
online, as well as editing breaking news<br />
coverage.<br />
WHY: There aren’t that many jobs where<br />
you get to spend your day working on<br />
topics that people are choosing to talk<br />
about at the pub in their free time. You<br />
get this front-row feeling about what’s<br />
happening on the world stage, and I<br />
love being part of an organisation that’s<br />
trusted to give impartial news. I also get<br />
a real kick out of the adrenaline of it all.<br />
HOW I GOT HERE: I joined the Thomson<br />
Reuters business graduate scheme about<br />
two years ago and I worked in corporate<br />
communications while I studied parttime<br />
for my NCTJ diploma in multimedia<br />
journalism at News Associates. Then,<br />
I landed a role in the newsroom as a<br />
social media analyst for Reuters for<br />
my final placement and I now work in<br />
editorial.<br />
WHAT I DID AT <strong>OXFORD</strong>: I wrote for<br />
anything that would let me. I was<br />
a deputy editor at ISIS magazine,<br />
culture editor at Cherwell and was<br />
part of launching Industry fashion<br />
magazine. I tried out the commercial<br />
side, selling subscriptions for The<br />
Economist and the International<br />
New York Times, and working on<br />
advertising deals for ISIS. I also<br />
turned into a work experience junkie<br />
– from TV running to editing English<br />
translations for an Egyptian news<br />
website, but mainly writing for local<br />
papers.<br />
TOP TIPS: Your first job can just be<br />
about getting a foot in the door.<br />
Think logically and decide whether<br />
you can learn from doing something<br />
and get closer to where you want<br />
to be by doing it – then give it<br />
everything you’ve got. Don’t panic if<br />
it isn’t the job you want to be doing<br />
when you’re 30 - that might not even<br />
exist yet.<br />
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