Let's make 2024 a year to remember as WiJ Scotland continues championing journalism
By Heather Dewar, WiJ Scotland co-chair
A new year beckons, as the snow fades and stockings lie limp beneath the tree.
2023 is almost at an end.
For some, it has been a year to celebrate: for others, it is a year that has brought grief, pain and uncertainty.
As I write this, I’m painfully aware that the world around us is changing at a remarkable rate. The growth of digital and of AI, in particular, will likely continue to erode the traditional landscape so often associated with the world of journalism.
While it is incumbent upon us to embrace this change and the opportunity it brings, it’s important to remember, too, the journalistic values at the core of everything we create. As technology evolves, it's vital that we fiercely protect this.
Truth, integrity, passion, insight and commitment - they are part of who we are and who we must remain, whatever the dynamic of the new world order.
These are the values of WiJ Scotland - an organisation that continues to grow and empower women across the country, whatever their background, whatever their ambitions in the trade.
Over the last year we have focused yet again on our incredible mentoring scheme, which pairs aspiring journalists with mentors from across the land. We want to thank each and every one of our mentors for taking the time to inspire others and for holding a hand out to the women who come behind them.
In 2023, we had an incredible 42 pairings - and we hope this success continues as we look ahead to 2024. It really is an opportunity to learn from the best and to get to grips with what's required in an often cut-throat industry.
This form of collaboration is central to what we do - and we were delighted to see a new association come our way in 2023, with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The inaugural WiJS x JRF bursary saw five women awarded £1500 to develop a project that shone a light on economic or social inequalities around Scotland.
Given the current cost of living crisis, the programme was seen as a terrific opportunity to eliminate some of the financial hurdles that come one's way while working on long-form journalism.
Chris Burt, associate director for Scotland at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said: "Poverty, and the inequality that underpins it, is bearing its teeth in a way that cannot be tolerated in a society as wealthy as Scotland. This exciting project's aim is to shine a light on both the causes and cures for poverty and inequality and to help support more women journalists to use their experience and skill, with support from their peers and us, to do so."
We hope that those who have taken part in the programme have received a real and tangible benefit - and we look forward to seeing their work in the near future. We are thrilled, meanwhile, that the programme will continue in 2024 with another talented bunch of individuals.
Elsewhere, we have worked hard to bring fellow journalists a variety of events that touch on subjects so often misunderstood in the media.
We asked whether Scottish media employers were doing enough to support those going through the menopause.
'Working Through the Menopause' saw TV supremo Kirsty Wark telling it like it is as our special guest in September.
Wark, who made the taboo-busting documentary 'The Menopause and Me' back in 2017, has navigated her own way through the change, while working as one of the UK's top TV journalists.
Thanks to Kirsty and to Shelley Joffre, BBC Scotland's Editor of Long Form Journalism, for hosting the Q and A at BBC Pacific Quay.
Over the year, we touched, too, on issues around class, in the superb 'We Need to Talk About Class: A Women in Journalism Scotland panel talk'. For the first time, we looked at an event that addressed the challenges and opportunities that working class female journalists face on a regular basis.
Held at the iconic Glasgow Women's Library, it explored the class dynamics in Scottish journalism and beyond - shining a light on the hidden hurdles working class journalists come up against in their careers.
The panel - made up of award-winning writer and columnist Dani Gararvelli, Jen Stout and Dayna McAlpine - made for a superb listen and we truly hope that attendees left with renewed understanding and insight into the challenges so many women continue to face.
In terms of online events, perhaps one of the most powerful sessions of the year focused on 'Reporting violence against women.' It looked at some of the most difficult subjects we often have to cover. Based on a workshop format, the event covered all the issues that journalists need to understand in order to do justice to these important stories.
Jo Zawadkza from Zero Tolerance set the scene, while Claire Thomson from Rape Crisis Scotland was on hand to talk about sexual violence and the new justice bill. Nyla Khan from Universal Truth, meanwhile, spoke about the importance of including the voices of victim-survivors and how to work with charities and campaign groups in this area. It's a part of journalism that is rarely spoken about, and we are proud to continue our work in this field.
Across 2023, we also celebrated the work of female journalists throughout Scotland at the annual Scottish Press Awards.
Congratulations once again to the inimitable Marion Scott of The Sunday Post, who walked away with the Nicola Barry Award, sponsored by WIJS. Scott made it a hat-trick on the night by also picking up the Reporter of the Year and the Scoop of the Year awards.
A huge congratulations to all the other women who either won or were nominated for their work. It really does reflect the passion, commitment and enormous dedication being shown by so many women across Scotland, who continue to break boundaries.
Celebrating achievements and lifting women up is an important part of what we do at WiJ Scotland. We have enjoyed more social events in 2023, and we hope to bring you more of these in 2024. Please do get in touch with any ideas you might have for these in the future.
Our Winter Social event saw our highest ever attendance - and we were delighted to raise £500 on the night.
The Summer Social, meanwhile, was held in the fantastic Ferret newsroom and saw £400 raised for the work of the organisation. This was also the venue for an FOI masterclass, brilliantly hosted by Karin Goodwin, back in February.
We also staged another broadcast media training workshop with the BBC - this time in Inverness - as part of our long-standing efforts to redress the gender imbalance in Scottish media output.
This marked the first time WiJ Scotland has offered an event in Gaelic. Around 15 media commentators, print journalists and experts were put through their paces by the BBC team in Inverness.
Later in the year, our redundancy workshop was attended by 56 people, with the event made available for free, for anyone who wishes to watch back. We hope it has helped many others in their time of need.
As we look ahead now to another year, we should continue to thank those who ply their trade in the industry. We actively welcome new members and are always interested in the views of others, as we continue to grow WiJ Scotland.
Thank you to each and every one of you who has given your time over the last year. None of it would have been possible without our attendees, our amazing committee and of course, our event sponsors.
Let's hope 2024 is one to remember - bringing peace, gratitude and success to all.