Susie Schofield: 'I vowed no journalist would go to their grave again not knowing their true value'

Credit: Courtesy of Susannah Schofield

John Schofield was a BBC reporter who was killed whilst covering the former Yugoslavian War in Croatia in August 1995, aged 29. Today, 30 years later, his name is still remembered and associated with nurturing talent and excellence in journalism.

That is because his widow, Susannah Schofield, set up a charity in his name, the John Schofield Trust. It continued his legacy by supporting young journalists through mentoring schemes and focusing on promoting diversity in journalism.

After three decades of running the Trust, she has stepped down. Journalism.co.uk speaks with Susannah Schofield to reflect on her work over the last 30 years.

Q: What's kept you going for the last 30 years running the Trust and how do you feel stepping away from it?

SS: The determination to promote talented young journalists. When John was killed in 1995, I was surrounded by letters of condolence from his colleagues, senior news managers, viewers, listeners, as well as people he had interviewed for his stories. Every one of them praised John’s skills and journalism, predicting a great future in the news industry. None of this John knew. As I sat in the middle of this towering pile of letters, I vowed that no 29-year-old journalist would go to their grave not knowing how much they were valued by their peers. 

This sparked the rationale behind setting up the John Schofield Trust – to recognise young journalists. We began with setting up the Young Journalist of the Year (now re-named Emerging Young Talent) award with the Royal Television Society and followed it up in 2012 with our pioneering mentoring scheme for journalists. In 2012, we started with mentoring 22 early-career journalists; today, we mentor 200 journalists each year.

In terms of how I feel, it's relief. The Trust is in great hands with Howard Littler as director and Jonathan Paterson as chair of an incredibly wise and supportive board of trustees. It's a good time to pass the baton on, and I'm glad to be stepping away from the minutiae of the business.

On a personal level, I’m looking forward to reclaiming John’s name rather than always adding 'Schofield Trust' at the end of it.

Q: How would you describe John and what values did he embody as a person and a journalist?

Courtesy of Susannah Schofield

SS: John was utterly gorgeous, charming, kindness personified, incredibly intelligent and was great fun to be with – I remember our last telephone conversation on the morning he was killed as being silly, irreverent and happy. 

In terms of his journalism, he was constantly looking out for stories and to tell them in ways that would make audiences stop and listen. He was a great communicator – I remember the way in which he would use sound and images to paint his reports and pick up on what, to some, would seem an esoteric detail but yet would speak volumes about the situation he was reporting.

One of his last reports in Croatia he described the desolation of an abandoned farm with cows staggering under the weight of udders that hadn't been milked. 

John had great integrity. He was always mindful about the boundaries of what he could report. Foreign news was what he loved best and he was always amazed by the generosity of people out in the field who willingly shared what little they had with him.

In both his personal life and professional life, John was a warm-hearted and welcoming soul. A friend to many.

Q: How have you tried to continue his legacy and reflect those values in the work of the Trust?

SS: I wanted to reflect John’s warm-heartedness and welcoming spirit in any memorial we created in his name. The legions of volunteers who mentor young journalists for the Trust, some who come back year after year, attests, I think, to having achieved this.

The work of the Trust is rooted in kindness. I am immensely proud that John’s name is still remembered in the news industry and associated with the great work our volunteer mentors do to support journalists at the start of their career.

Unfortunately, our work is more vital than ever. The news industry does not mirror the audiences it serves and is the poorer for it. The percentage of privately educated journalists (22 per cent) is higher than the national workforce average (6 per cent), and 71 per cent of journalists come from privileged backgrounds, as defined by their parents’ occupation (Reuters Institute’s ‘UK journalists in the 2020's report). We prioritise supporting journalists from under-represented backgrounds.

This year: 

• 20 per cent of our mentees have a disability
• 35 per cent from an ethnic minority background
• 30 per cent were eligible for free school meals, and 
• 44 per cent are the first in their family to attend university. 

The John Schofield Trust annual meeting in 2024

Q: What would John make of journalism and the information landscape broadly in 2025? What stories do you think he would tell and how he would go about doing them?

SS: I think John would be worried by the lack of trust in our institutions – including journalism – and the prevalence of 'fake news'. But I do think it would steel him – as it does with news operators today – to keep finding stories and holding power to account. He believed in the importance of journalism to reveal truth, however uncomfortable it may be.

Journalists were being killed in the 1990s – John was the 76th to be killed in the former Yugoslavian war at the time. I think today, possibly amplified by social media, journalists are seen as legitimate targets, which is a tragic trend.

In terms of what stories John would be telling, his first news love was foreign reporting so I imagine he would have stayed in that field. With the arrival of new media channels since the 1990s – blogs, websites, podcasts – I think John would have made a brilliant podcaster. And I am pretty sure he would have gone about reporting stories the same way as he did back then: dogged research, except using the internet rather than relying on the goodwill of the press cuttings library.

Q: What do you see as the essential skills that journalists need today, compared to the skills needed in the late 90s when you founded the trust?

SS: I am not a journalist – and never have been – so I'm not sure I can comment on this with any authority. However, from my observations and what our mentees and mentors tell me, I think the same skills John had still ring true: talent, a thirst for telling people’s stories, and a conviction to stand up to speak truth to power.

In terms of career development, there is still tremendous value in having a network of contacts within the industry. Not just the most senior people in the room, but the people who can act as your eyes and ears for the opportunities when they arise, or help when they don't.

The way the Trust supports early career journalists has changed, even since 2012. The news industry has become a lot less secure, with more journalists starting out on short-term and freelance contracts. Our mentees join our huge network of professional contacts, which has proved essential for many trying to navigate the news industry. Our networking events and receptions are incredibly popular and, I always find that the buzz at them is inspiring. John would have loved them!

Q: You told me that journalism in the late mid-90s was competitive, just as it is today, and John found opportunities hard to come by, too. What advice would John give to young journalists finding it tough to get their first break in the industry?

SS: Again, with the caveat that I'm not a journalist…. grow your portfolio. Take any opportunity you can to report the news on your doorstep. And, if you can, find your niche. Your way of looking at a story won't necessarily be the same as someone else’s: use your lived experience to shine a different light for audiences.

Q: What else would you like our readers to know?

SS: We’ve grown massively over the last couple of years, thanks to the support and funding of newsrooms across the UK and Ireland and senior journalists who give their time free of charge to help the next generation of journalists. None of this would be possible without their help.

Looking ahead, the Trust is adapting even more to the changing nature of journalism – we're interested in how we utilise our extensive connections in legacy newsrooms to help individual ‘creators’ who are covering news with some of the important core skills needed to be a good journalist. 

The John Schofield Trust has a community of 1000 journalists working in the UK and Ireland - you can get involved by applying through the website

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