Finding my voice through journalism

When I was a teenager way back in the late nineties and first expressed an interest in the industry, the school careers advisor gently told me that journalism “isn’t for people like you”.

As harsh as that may sound, she had a point.

Lisa Valentine

I was living in a refuge at the time and sharing a single bedroom with my parent and two younger siblings, having grown up on a notorious Greater Manchester council estate with little aspirational influence.

I had no power to change my situation back then so instead, used the library and books as a means of escape.

No-one I knew had gone to college, let alone to university. I had no connections and would likely have had to move to London to get my foot in the door; something I had neither the means nor inclination to do.

Instead, I became a statistic. Having involuntarily left home not long after my sixteenth birthday, I relied on the goodwill of school friends’ sofas, then resorted to sleeping in cars and parks when that ran out.

I found a ‘commission only’ (read: illegal) sales job through my local newspaper and rented a single room in a house share. I also ended up pregnant and gave birth to my first daughter almost year after leaving home.

Fast forward a couple of decades, I had managed to eventually forge myself a career in PR and communications after working numerous retail and admin roles when my children were younger to make sure our bills were paid.

That curiosity for journalism never left me though.

When I saw an NCTJ Diversity Report in 2022 stating that just two per cent of journalists had a parent in the lowest two occupational groups, it gave me the final push to embark on a career change (both of my parents still live in social housing and work in manual ‘low skilled’ jobs).

My two children were starting their own careers and were no longer dependent on me, meaning that I could emotionally afford to take the risk, however, finances were still a barrier, despite working full time.

After securing a part-time place at News Associates in Manchester, I was successfully awarded funding for the course from the JDF, along with a small amount of money each month to cover travel expenses.

I have been lucky enough to benefit from two mentors via the JDF, who both work for a national publication and have not only provided me with invaluable advice, but helped me to feel valued and valid as a peer.

I also made connections at a JDF event in Salford.

Through this, I was given the chance to undertake freelance broadcast journalism shifts at the BBC by a fellow working-class individual who is relentlessly championing the importance of true diversity in our newsrooms.

I am now working as a reporter at the Bury Times (Newsquest) and studying towards my NQJ/L7 senior journalism qualification at Darlington College, thanks to my employer and the Government apprenticeship scheme.

As the Journalism Diversity Fund celebrates its 20^th anniversary, this isn’t intended to be a sob story.

It is a reminder that people like me exist, that we are capable and ready to make a difference in the industry if we are given the opportunity and means to do so.

I still get that flutter of excitement when a story makes it from my head to my pad and finally into print or online.

I’m working hard to gradually gain the trust and respect of the communities I once lived in, knowing first-hand the barriers that people from low socioeconomic and marginalised backgrounds face when ‘dealing with the media.’

The fear of being ridiculed or having your story made into nothing more than a sensationalised headline is real and I am determined to help change that.

I have also heard outdated and unhelpful misconceptions regarding these communities bandied about in workplaces that claim to be diverse, which only fuels my determination further.

My confidence is growing by the month, and I truly feel like this is where I am meant to be, regardless of where I came from.

Click here to find out more about the Journalism Diversity Fund.