Leeds Trinity University’s Sports Journalism course is set to offer exclusive placement opportunities with News UK, home to the world’s biggest sports radio station and Britain’s biggest sports website, to provide its students with even more ways to build their careers.
talkSPORT, which is based at the top of the 17-story News Building in central London, covers more exclusive football than any other UK broadcaster. Sun Sport, which has broken exclusive stories daily for decades in print, now additionally reaches tens of millions of people a month digitally in Britain.
This work means students at Leeds Trinity will have access to News UK’s exclusive placement scheme during their degree, and the course will collectively visit the News Building to learn from some of Britain’s best journalists.
These include Leeds Trinity alumna Noa Hoffman, political reporter at The Sun, who has reported a number of exclusive stories in her first year in the job, including breaking the resignation of former Conservative Party Deputy Chief Whip, Chris Pincher. Noa completed an MA in Journalism in 2021 and was recently named Young Journalist of the Year at the London Press Club Awards.
One of the University’s most recent graduates, Megan Worsell, originally from Crawley in Sussex, had already secured a role at talkSPORT before completing her degree in Sports Journalism this summer, following a placement at the organisation
Noa and Megan returned to Leeds Trinity as speakers at its Journalism and Media Week 2022, a flagship event held by the University to connect students with industry contacts and provide inspiration on career paths ahead.
Megan Worsell said: “Placements give a great insight into what is expected in a fast-paced journalism and media environment. I learnt so much from those who have been in the business for years and it confirmed this is the chosen job for me. I am pleased to begin my career with talkSport, the organisation that gave me the opportunity to dip my toe in the industry and gain some real work experience complementing all I had been studying for at Leeds Trinity. These partnerships are invaluable to students, and I am thrilled to know others will have access to such placements and work opportunities in the future.”
Darren Harper, course leader for Sports Journalism at Leeds Trinity University, said: “I’m over the moon about the exclusive News UK placements now in place with Sports Journalism at Leeds Trinity. It caps a fantastic few months for the course after hearing that so many of our graduates are landing great jobs.”
Journalism courses at Leeds Trinity University are currently ranked 5th in the UK for student satisfaction* and the subject has a 100% employment or further study rate amongst its graduates 15 months after graduating**.
Associate professor, Paul Marsden, who lectures in Journalism at the University, added: “It is fantastic that talkSPORT and Sun Sport trust us to provide them with high quality students. We want to help them bring more diverse, northern voices into their newsrooms.”
Mark Hudson, head of early talent at News UK, said: “At News UK we’re committed to making our newsrooms more reflective of British society, and a big part of this is ensuring talented young journalists from all corners of the country have equal access to the opportunities our newsroom offers.
“This partnership ensures we can tap into the fantastic talent on offer at Leeds Trinity.”
