Student journalists learn the importance of diversity in the TV newsroom

A stalwart of the ITV newsroom revealed the crucial role diversity plays in television news when he spoke to budding journalists from the University of Northampton.

Vidar Hjardeng has enjoyed a glittering career spanning three decades in television news, holding editing and production roles at both Channel 4 and ITV, and is now the latter’s diversity consultant – a role that’s close to the heart of the visually impaired journalist.

Vidar, who defines diversity as “being included and being inclusive”, was on campus on Tuesday as part of the Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology’s Subject Futures Week – a five-day showcase of graduate career opportunities.

He told undergraduates from the journalism department: “I am here to dispel the myth that diversity is merely tokenism and ‘a bit worthy’.

“There’s not just a moral case for diversity, there’s a business and an editorial case too.

“If people don’t feel a programme is relevant to them and doesn’t reflect the issues that matter to them, they will vote with their remote control and switch off.

“So you need to reflect your diverse audiences, and if you do that, your broadcasting organisation will benefit.”

Vidar gave students tips to ensure they are thinking about diversity when they enter the industry, including building up a contacts book that has a wide representation of people.

He said: “Your contacts need to be diverse – those with a disability, different sexual orientations or different cultural backgrounds. But to move away from tokenism, you should be using these people for their points of view on a wide range of every day issues, from local politics to football. That way you are making sure you are representing a truer cross section of your community.”

Vidar also applied the same principles of diversity to local news organisations: “I am based at ITV in Birmingham, but we need to be conscious not to be too Birmingham-centric. We need to represent the whole of our patch, and include stories from Shropshire, Warwickshire, and so on.”

Head of Journalism, Media & Performance at the University, Matt Walsh, said: “It’s never been more important for newsrooms to reflect the communities they serve. The vital work that Vidar is doing will help our students tell their stories and to find their places in the media of the future.”