On Wednesday 22nd October, a group of third-year and Journalism MA students travelled to London for a tour of the Associated Press (AP) UK office.
Written by Ciára Teefey
AP is a non-for-profit global news agency, known for their extensive reach all over the world including conflict zones and places where public access is heavily restricted.
On this tour, students were given behind the scenes access to the newsroom, main control room, as well as AP’s imagery and video archives. This was an incredible opportunity for a group of aspiring journalists on the verge of starting their careers.
The tour through the various AP departments contextualised many of the modules students have been undertaking throughout their degree, particularly broadcast, video, and converging journalism. Observing how content was captured, transmitted and edited helped students to understand the many roles involved in delivering high-quality video output.
The AP maintains an extensive archive of media content, including photos, tapes, and digital videos. A dedicated team manages this archive by organising and indexing materials, handling licensing requests from external outlets, and safeguarding past news-gathering efforts. Students were given access to these archives, showing the value of remembering the past and how journalistic materials serve as vital records of global history.
Before the tour ended, students were given the opportunity to speak with some of AP’s leaders including Sarah Gillesby, Director of Global Video; Rafaela Freitas, News Editor of Live Video; Gordon Ullah, MCR manager, and Tanja Popovic, Video Executive Producer.
During an intimate Q&A, students asked questions about the impact of AI and audience trust in video journalism and whether AP’s standards of practice do enough to protect them from the risk of editorial framing. Despite the current media landscape being rife with audience hostility towards perceived ‘fake news,’ and limited media literacy – Sarah Gillesby remained steadfast in affirming AP’s commitment to transparency and its long-standing reputation of being a provider of unbiased, accurate news reporting.
Students also asked the seasoned journalists how they protected their mental health when viewing distressing video content on a regular basis, especially when reporting on war. In response, Tanja Popovic touched on the importance of self-care and knowing when to take breaks while, Gordon Ullah told the group that AP have strong policies and practices that ensure mental health check ins are frequent and employees know the many avenues of care accessible to them.
At the end of the tour, some students reflected on the experience including Lucy Keeble, who stated: “The Q&A…was so motivating as we touched on topics of being exposed to sensitive content every day and the emotional impact that may have.” Another student, Emily Bowker said: “The tour made me feel more reassured and comfortable about pursuing a career in journalism once I graduate, which I was initially unsure about… It also showed to me that there are many other jobs I could look into doing with my degree, showing that I am not limited to only doing journalism.” Rafaela Freitas from AP commented on the group’s enthusiasm for the future of journalism, stating: “It was great seeing how tuned in they are to the challenges facing journalism…they posed important questions about AP’s vision and direction. What a great group, and what a great Q&A session!”
Find out more about studying Journalism MA at Brighton.
