Towards a new kind of journalism – Journalism Training Academy impact report

Launched in 2025, the Changing the Narrative Journalism Training Academy allowed the Glasgow-based charity to recruit two cohorts of learners, who all took part in a 10-week intensive learning programme.

Each group involved five afternoon workshops, covering topics such as what exactly the media is; different types of news; trust, bias and the truth; and headlines and hooks.

Participants completed their own written assignments and received one-to-one support, providing both encouragement and challenge.

During the Academy, a special meet the journalists panel provided opportunities for participants to meet senior journalists in the industry to find out about career pathways, as well as a local college representative from Glasgow Clyde College. One participant gained direct entry into a journalism qualification course as a direct result of their participation in the Academy programme.

15 participants completed the project, received a certificate of attendance and achievement from INSP, and had their stories published both through the INSP’s global news service and in a newly created newspaper: The New Narrative.

Participants and supporters of the Academy gathered at a special event earlier this month at The Social Hub in Glasgow to celebrate the impact of the project, and to call for further support for a phase two.

Co-trainers in the Academy were INSP’s CEO, Mike Findlay-Agnew, and Mairi Damer from Word Up Communications.

Mike Findlay-Agnew, CEO of INSP, comments: “Why we embarked on this project is pretty clear. Poverty and homelessness is everyone’s business. Here in Scotland, one in 10 people are living in deep poverty, and in-work poverty – where you are earning an income, but still in poverty – is on the increase.

“Combining this is the fact that stigmatising language is still used to describe people experiencing difficult circumstances in the media and in public. Worse still is the concept of poverty romanticisation, where some see poverty almost as a lifestyle choice, which is far removed from the reality for many.

“The journalism industry itself is hard to break into. Only around 9% of journalists in the UK’s top positions are from working class backgrounds. There is also a tendency for the industry to be dominated by people with a high level of academic qualifications.

“When you take all three of these factors into account, it is fair to say that many people are excluded from an education in media and journalism. We therefore wanted to create a positive experience for our learners, where they could be themselves, work at their own pace, but still adhere to deadlines and create their own written content.

“It has been an absolute privilege to work with both groups, whose talents and appetite for learning has shone through in this project.”

The academy has connected INSP with local grassroots and national organisations based in Glasgow - including Emmaus Glasgow, Homelessness Network Scotland, Ubuntu Women’s Shelter, and the Simon Community Scotland - to recruit budding writers and news reporters.

Five funders generously supported INSP to launch the start-up phase of the project: National Lottery Awards for All, The Robertson Trust, People's Postcode Lottery, Endrick Trust and The Albert Hunt Trust.

INSP is now seeking further funding opportunities and partnerships to deliver a phase two of the project, which would look to keep the Academy running at scale.