About the Fund

​The Royal Television Society and The Media Society have come together with a number of British broadcasters and media organisations to launch the Steve Hewlett scholarship for young journalists to celebrate the life of Steve Hewlett.

Steve, who died on February 20^th 2017, inspired the nation with his candid accounts of his fight against cancer, charted through his columns in The Observer and interviews with Eddie Mair on BBC Radio Four’s PM.

The Fund supports a scholarship initiative run by the RTS and The Media Society which will be presented each year to one/two exceptional applicants from the TV Production Bursary submissions. The recipient(s) will be awarded the ‘Steve Hewlett Scholarship’, which entitles them to all the perks of the TV Production Bursary, but with a financial contribution of £2000 per academic year and additional support, mentoring and opportunities from the Steve Hewlett Memorial Fund. The recipient(s) will be chosen by a panel including Steve’s widow Rachel.

The Scholarship recognises Steve’s ongoing commitment to improving access for all to careers in the media and improving social mobility. Steve was a vehement campaigner for improving access to the media industry for those with geographically diverse and low-income backgrounds to benefit both the media industries and the public more generally.

The scholarship will be funded on a long-term basis as part of the RTS’s annual TV Production Bursary scheme. The Media Society is leading a major fund-raising appeal to grow the Bursary funds. This Steve Hewlett Memorial Fund will be used for Steve Hewlett Scholarship recipients as well as other activities which support Steve’s legacy Donations to the Fund can be made by following the link below. 

Organisations already backing the initiative and committing to support the Fund include: BBC Radio Four, Brunel University, Channel 4, Google UK, ITN, ITV, Sky News, The London Press Club, Women in Journalism; and individuals including: Trevor Phillips OBE, Roger Bolton, Peter Taylor OBE, Fiona Chesterton, Alex Graham and the former CEO of News and Regions at ITV and now Chair of the Disasters Emergency Committee Clive Jones CBE, who chairs the appeal.

Clive Jones says: "Steve was a broadcasting polymath: a brilliant reporter, editor, commissioner, director of programmes, senior executive and presenter. He was also the kindest of men with a wicked chuckle and a joyous sense of humour. He was always willing to give his time to young people just starting out in the industry. This prize will hopefully unearth a worthy successor to this wonderfully talented journalist and programme maker’

Donations can also be made by BACS and cheque made payable to RTS Steve Hewlett Memorial Fund and sent to Royal Television Society, 3 Dorset Rise, London, EC4Y 8EN. The BACS details are below.

Account Name: RTS Steve Hewlett Memorial Fund
Account Number: 32510047
Sort Code: 60-40-04
BIC: NWBKGB2L
IBAN: GB06NWBK60400432510047

Terms of Reference

British Broadcasters and media organisations have come together to launch a scholarship for young journalists to celebrate the life of Steve Hewlett. Steve, who died on February 20^th 2017, inspired the nation with his candid accounts of his disease, treatment and fight against cancer charted through his columns in The Observer and brilliant interviews with Eddie Mair on BBC Radio Four’s PM.

The Steve Hewlett scholarship is an initiative by the RTS and The Media Society and will be presented each year to one recipient from a lower income family studying an undergraduate broadcast journalism course in the UK. The first scholarship will be part funded by the RTS and subsequent potential scholarships and activity will be financed by funds raised by the Media Society.

The Steve Hewlett memorial fund will be used to fund these scholarships and other related activities which commemorate his life.  In addition, the fund will cover the operating costs incurred in delivering these activities.