NCTJ diversity report: representation of women a positive in a bleak picture

The National Council for the Training of Journalists’ (NCTJ) Diversity in Journalism 2025 report finds that women now make up more than half (53 per cent) of the UK journalism workforce. It represents a bounce back after a dip in recent years, better representation than the national average (49 per cent) and a positive in an otherwise slow-moving diversity picture.

Journalists are still more likely to have parents in higher-level occupations (61 per cent vs 43 per cent of all UK workers). While this figure has dropped by 11 percentage points since 2016, the proportion of journalists from lower-level household occupation has returned to where it was then (seven per cent).

The UK news industry lags behind in terms of ethnic diversity (14 per cent in news vs 17 per cent nationwide), under 30s (12 per cent versus 22 per cent) and disability (17 per cent versus 20 per cent).

The NCTJ warns that without more action to attract and support people from underrepresented groups, journalism risks failing to reflect the society it serves.

This article was drafted by an AI assistant before it was edited by a human