Breaking into journalism: Dani Desouza on her journey, niche, and the future of the industry

Journalism is a career that is complex and varied, and Dani Desouza has heard all the questions—from pay expectations to the potential impact of AI on the industry. Achieving her gold-standard diploma as an apprentice, we spoke to her about her journey into journalism, how she discovered her niche, and the advice she’d give to aspiring reporters from an insider’s perspective.

Q- What do you do and how did you figure out which type of journalism you were most interested in?

A- I work as a senior social media journalist at PA Media, the national news agency for the UK and Ireland. Often when I say I work at PA, people instantly think I work as a personal assistant which is quite humorous but also understandable as to many outside of the industry, PA is perhaps not super well-known but when I explain that working at an agency means your stories reach multiple news outlets after publication, I see people’s eyes light up more. My role is very varied and I pretty much scour social media to find original stories, with some of my favourites from this year including a story about a Vinted user who models her unwanted clothing on a Gordon Ramsay cardboard cutout and a tale about how villainous penguin Feathers McGraw, from the Wallace and Gromit franchise, has been in hot demand at tattoo parlours since his return in Aardman’s Vengeance Most Fowl at Christmas. The latter story even caught the attention of Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park which was absolutely insane, I couldn’t believe it!

I was lucky because I was selected as an apprentice at my company in January 2021 and I got to bob around the different desks, which include news, entertainment, features and video, and it helped me figure out my heart and head were with the social media team from the first day I worked there. I have permanently worked on that desk since July 2022, which has provided me with a platform to champion stories which matter to me, many of which are uplifting, and it means the absolute world to me. I would advise those who want to be a journalist but are not sure which areas to cover to try and get work experience or training at different outlets and don’t be afraid to reach out to journalists you are inspired by for a coffee or chat as many of us will try our best to offer our expertise on navigating the industry!

Q- Do journalists get paid a lot of money?

A- If I got paid £1 each time someone asked me this question, I would have enough money to purchase a bubble tea each day! On a serious note, there are many factors which affect the wages journalists get including the company they work at, their experience level or job title, location and the list goes on. The NCTJ’s Journalists at Work report revealed the average salary for a journalist in the UK is now £34,500, and the average salary goes up to £45,547 for those working in London. Whether or not those figures equate to being “a lot of money” is subjective, but it is always important to enter the media industry because it is a field you are interested in rather than doing it to become rich as a lot of journalists will tell you, many of us are definitely not rolling in money.

Q- Do I have to move to London to become a journalist?

A- I have to say, I am a born and bred Londoner, but I have friends who are journalists and live in other parts of the UK including Manchester, Leeds, Southampton and Essex. At my company, we also have reporters in different regions including Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Midlands and we also have an Irish team. Arguably more opportunities and media offices are in London, but you should never feel your journalism dream will only remain a fantasy because of your location. Remote opportunities may also help you become a journalist without even needing to leave the comfort of your home.

Q- Have you ever been worried about losing your job because of artificial intelligence (AI)?

A- Honestly, AI is something which sometimes worries me and I have thought about what the future of the industry will look like with its growing presence, but I am sure people in other industries will also have similar concerns and it is more important in my opinion to pick a career which you will enjoy rather than picking something because you feel it will be immune from AI. I am constantly interviewing as part of my role and have learnt people open up more when they feel a reporter genuinely cares about what they have to say, is reactive and human essentially, which makes me hopeful journalists will still be relevant in the years to come as that human connection is something AI cannot match. While saying that, there are also ways AI can be used to help journalists e.g. I sometimes ask ChatGPT to create lists for me if I am trying to find specific regions in countries to create better search terms when looking for case studies.

Q- What would you tell your younger/pre-journalist self about the industry?

A- Believe in yourself and your whacky ideas as there is space for them in the media!