Nyima Jobe

Readers want content that reflects their experiences and perspectives, and inclusive newsrooms and coverage, as well as being fairer, can help organisations achieve this. We see this year on year through the Scott Trust Bursary, as recipients contribute hundreds of articles during their MAs and Guardian work placements, offering fresh perspectives on a range of topics that may not otherwise exist.

Nyima Jobe is no exception, choosing to write her final MA piece on skin lightening, an issue she’s witnessed firsthand; “For my newspaper journalism MA, we had to do our final project on a topic of our own choice, and I chose skin lightening. My dad is from Gambia where this is prevalent. I've always wondered, why would you ruin your skin just to look light? I wanted to investigate it further and to find out if it affects other communities as well. I obviously found out that it does”

“I found a lady on Tik Tok and listened to her story. When I was going over my work with my supervisor, he was sad and shocked because there was a line where she covers herself in clingfilm to make sure the bleach was even on her skin. Even if it seems gruesome, I wanted to create the message that this is a serious issue.” 

Reflecting on her overall experience of the Scott Trust Bursary scheme so far, she was determined that “people need to know more about journalism. My friends and family place it on such a high pedestal and they don’t see it as accessible for people like us. I think it can be accessible with awareness and education, and that’s why what the Foundation do is really good [...]  I am not sure why journalism isn’t diverse, because diverse journalism can make stories better. If people from diverse backgrounds cover different stories they might understand them better or report them better. And there wouldn’t be as much insensitive reporting.”