We are pleased to announce the next event in the Fire up the Future series “Make News!” where Mike Elder, Head of Senior School, will be joined by a panel to discuss journalism, the media and education.

We live in an age when news and information have never been so accessible and significant but have also never been so volatile and manipulated. At this webinar, it will be asked ”What schools can do to help young people make sense of news?” to help debunk the headlines and to be  discerning when encountering multiple narratives in the media. Drawing on the experiences of the panel, career routes into the ever-changing media landscape  will also be looked at for any pupils interested in working in journalism and broadcasting. 

Join for a wide-ranging and thought-provoking discussion of these topics, with plenty of anecdotes, inside scoops and bloopers drawn from both school-based and professional journalism. 

Register your place at this event online.

 

Guest speakers include:

David Stenhouse (Class of ‘86), CEO of the John Schofield Trust

David Stenhouse, Class of ‘86, is the first CEO of the John Schofield Trust. The Trust, named after the BBC Journalist John Schofield who was killed in 1995 while on assignment covering the war in Yugoslavia, runs two acclaimed mentoring schemes for early career and aspiring journalists, and campaigns for increased diversity in the broadcast media. 

David comes to the trust after a career as a broadcaster, radio executive, academic and writer. He has worked for the BBC and in the United States.

Laura Alderman, Political Reporter at STV News

Laura is STV News’ Political Reporter and is based in Edinburgh. After completing a Masters in Broadcast Journalism at the University of the West of Scotland in 2017, she started her career in radio with Global in Glasgow. Shortly after, she moved to London to take up  the role of Assistant News Editor for ITV News, working in a fast paced newsroom. 

After 10 months at ITV, she was offered a job as a reporter with STV News in Aberdeen which was followed by a move back to her hometown of Edinburgh where she was recently promoted to the role of Political Reporter in the middle of the 2021 Holyrood Election.

Ellie Chalmers (Class of ‘07), Senior Project Manager for Afghanistan at BBC Media Action

Making a conscious decision to fight for equality, Ellie has found a way to combine her passion for entertainment and education. Ellie works for BBC Media Action - the BBC’s international development charity - as Senior Project Manager for Afghanistan. In a country where only 30% of women can read or write, Ellie manages projects which train female journalists.  She also supports the team to produce the popular TV debate show, Open Jirga, which provides a public platform for discussing current affairs in Afghanistan.

Tara Bachoo representing the S6 Media Group at Robert Gordon’s College

Tara Bachoo joins the panel to speak on behalf of her eight peers who form the S6 Media Group which formed last year to share positive news and topical features from around the College.