Channel 4 News

Darshna Soni, Home Affairs Correspondent at Channel 4 News, shares her experiences of working in broadcast journalism, and offers advice to those who want to follow in her footsteps.

The Channel 4 News anchor called for journalists and their recruiters to leave their bubble in order to widen the awareness and understanding of people outside the media elite.

Snow said that the recent Grenfell Tower tragedy had exposed a shameful lack in awareness of issues facing those on lower incomes.

In a moving speech, Snow spoke of the guilt he felt when confronted by the survivors of the Grenfell disaster who asked broadcasters “where were you? Why didn’t you come here before?”

I have just arrived in London from Turkey, where my family is now living after the fall of our beloved city, Aleppo. I am travelling with my husband, Hamza, and our first stop from Heathrow airport is the Channel 4 News office.

I am feeling excited but also apprehensive. One of the first people I meet in the newsroom is the presenter Jon Snow. When we are introduced, he bursts into tears. I feel emotional, too. These are the people who have made it possible to show the world my footage, the real stories and horrors of the people of Syria.

The journalist, whose incredible footage of the war-torn city of Aleppo, Syria captured hearts and minds over the past year, received the awards in front of an audience of industry-leading journalists at the awards ceremony in London.

She was also part of the team which received The Independent Award for The Last Flower Seller of Aleppo, and the News Coverage – International Award for Inside Aleppo.

No footage or photographs are available of al-Kateab (an alias she uses) out of concern for her safety.

He’s had a colourful career in journalism; from various roles at the BBC to his current job anchoring Channel 4 News alongside Cathy Newman and Jon Snow.

Reporting on politics and current affairs around the world, Guru-Murthy has travelled to Venezuela, Yemen, Israel and Syria during the last 12 months to report on the very different crises taking place in the regions. From geopolitical stories, to economics and social development, the past year has been a challenge and a joy, in terms of international travel and going after the bigger stories.

After a year on the campaign trail, Channel 4 News’ Matt Frei knows better than most the risks posed by the new US president, and the difficulties he presents the media.

“For us journalists, the tricky balancing act we have to perform in the next few years is being aware […] we no longer share the same assumptions about wealth creation, liberalism, [and] the nature of democracy [as much of the public],” Frei warns.

“My job involves any graphics for online, [as well as] design, any development, [and] any apps we choose to try and do. Pretty much everything,” he says.

Like many people in television, what started out as a hobby turned into a full-time career. The good thing about interactive design, unlike print, is that you “can make as many mistakes as you want and it doesn’t cost you. It’s entirely trial and error.”

Q Cathy Newman: Under the BBC’s new Charter, the BBC is in charge of governance, Ofcom is in charge of regulation. It sounds simple. Are you clear about where the dividing line is? 

A Sharon White: There are three new areas of responsibility for us. First, we will now be overseeing news and current affairs on the BBC for impartiality and accuracy.  

Lord Mandelson, a self-confessed “heartbroken European”, set the tone of this debate. Unpicking 40 years of EU membership was complicated, to say the least. He declared: “Brexit is the most complex policy exercise mounted in peace time. Transitioning Britain out of its current merger with 27 other economies is a massive task and it is going to take many years.” 

The advice of the former Labour cabinet minister and European commissioner boiled down to this: “What you as an industry must first do is take a view on what outcome best serves your needs”.