Just How ‘Elitist’ is the UK Media Industry?
By Heather Roy
Perhaps one of the most obvious markers of socio-economic status in the UK is attending a private school, and in recent years the UK media industry has been criticised for its disproportionate hiring of the privately educated. A 2019 study by social mobility charity The Sutton Trust noted that the most influential people across the media, film and TV are “5 times as likely to have attended a fee-paying school.”
Their report also documented that only one third of the UK’s top journalists went to comprehensive schools. Highlighting a similar pattern, the Guardian reported in 2018 that a staggering 80% of the country’s top editors attended private schools.
The Sutton Trust’s report entitled “Elitist Britain” concluded that 43% of newspaper columnists, 42% of Radio 4 influential women, and 26% of BBC executives attended independent schools. Whilst these statistics may seem unproblematic; after all they are not majorities, they remain hugely disproportionate considering a mere 7% of the population at large are privately educated. The report stated that their research into those who work in the top jobs today found “elitism so stark that it could be called social engineering.”
Lower socio-economic groups are clearly under-represented within the media industry - so, what are the barriers facing state school attendees from becoming successful in the industry?
One issue is that the costs of postgraduate degrees that open doors to sought-after jobs in the industry are particularly expensive. Perhaps those who can afford to pay for a private school education are more likely to have the means to access a postgraduate degree and therefore more likely to be hired as a result of a higher qualification.
A rise in unpaid internships can also be argued to underpin the workplace disparity between the public and privately school educated. The Sutton Trust reported in 2018 that up to 86% of internships within media and the arts go unpaid, inevitably culminating in an elitist industry. Maintaining living costs whilst not earning is a luxury that few can afford, and those who can’t get by miss out on industry experience, thus missing out on getting that crucial first step on the career ladder.
In short, if those working in the media industry all come from the same background of privilege and have similar experiences, then they are likely to miss important angles, stories and nuances. The Elitist Britain report points out that the media should arguably be representative of the public for reasons of legitimacy.
It stated that, “Across the media, much more needs to be done to increase access and break down barriers for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds,” and concluded that over the five-year period of research there have been “isolated pockets” of positive progress but that the media industry remains largely characterised by persistent inequality.
It can be argued however, that there is positive change occurring within the industry. The Sutton Trust report detailed the drop in privately educated journalists at the top of the UK media over the last 5 years. Whilst still disproportionate to the number of pupils privately educated in the U.K, the closing of the gap is an improvement.
For its part, the BBC have announced a range of initiatives to improve diversity within the organisation, including commitment to providing at least 70% of apprenticeships and internships to those from lower-socio economic backgrounds. The BBC are also the first broadcaster to measure socio-economic diversity. Arguably the figure-head of UK media, it can be hoped that other organisations begin to follow in the footsteps of the BBC in their attempts to create a more diverse industry that offers opportunity regardless of background.