The Rory Peck Trust has launched a new scholarship to help freelance journalists-in-exile rebuild their careers in the UK.
Thousands of journalists around the world have been driven from their home countries because of their reporting. Some have been expelled by governments; others have fled persecution, arbitrary detention or threats to their lives. The number forced into exile has risen sharply in recent years. Around half of the journalists seeking support from the Rory Peck Trust today are freelancers who have either fled their countries or are trying to escape. While many hope their exile will be temporary, the reality is often very different: what begins as a short-term refuge can become a permanent reality.
In a series of workshops hosted by the Trust, exiled journalists now living in the UK told how all faced significant barriers to continuing their careers. Qualifications were not always recognised, professional networks had disappeared, and many struggled to gain a foothold in the UK media industry. So, from September, the Rory Peck Trust is partnering with City St George’s, University of London, to enable one journalist-in-exile to complete an M.A. in International Journalism.
Jon Williams, Executive Director of the Rory Peck Trust, said: “For many of those, their journalism is the reason they are here. They have been forced to flee after exposing stories others wanted kept hidden. They are talented, courageous journalists who simply need the opportunity to demonstrate what they can do. This scholarship will help them rebuild their careers, create new professional networks and ensure their journalism has a future, thousands of miles from home.”
The intensive one-year Master’s programme combines practical training across broadcast, print and digital journalism with advanced study of international reporting, equipping students with the skills needed for today’s global media landscape. Dr Zahera Harb, Director of Postgraduate Studies at City St George’s, knows first-hand the challenges faced by journalists forced to leave home. Before moving to the UK, she spent more than a decade reporting and presenting in Lebanon. She said: “We’re incredibly excited about this partnership with the Rory Peck Trust and the opportunities it will create to support journalists in exile. It will equip them with the knowledge, professional networks and global perspective needed to build a successful career, helping them overcome the professional disruption caused by displacement and exile.”
Applicants must be freelance journalists living in exile, displaced, or at risk because of their journalism. They must meet City St George’s academic and English language entry requirements and hold an immigration status that permits study in the UK. Applications are now open via the button below, with the inaugural Rory Peck Scholar to be announced in September.
Williams hopes the scholarship will become the first step in a broader programme of support for journalists forced into exile. “Journalism is built on community as much as competition. Journalists rely on one another for advice, support and shared experience. That sense of professional solidarity becomes even more important when someone has been forced to leave everything behind. This scholarship is about more than education. It’s about helping outstanding journalists belong again – about protecting independent journalism.”
If you will help fund the study of a journalist-in-exile, please click here.