News

Impressive panel to host SJA’s Diversity Forum

SJA members Keme Nzerem and Karthi Gnanasegaram will be joined on the panel by Baroness Grey-Thompson at our Diversity Forum, being staged in conjunction with BT Sport and Sport England, in London on Monday March 7.

The event is free to attend and is open to non-members as well as SJA members.

The SJA is hoping that the event will be supported by university journalism courses and their students, as well as working journalists. All attendees need to book their places in advance, since space is limited.

The event is expected to be wide-ranging and intends to discuss the issues confronting those from minority groups seeking to work in sports journalism. It will be run on a Question Time-style format, with questions from the floor to the panel, prompting open discussion.

The forum will be chaired by Nzerem, who is familiar to millions of television viewers as a reporter with Channel 4 News, where he has led on the programme’s sports coverage since the 2010 World Cup and through the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics.

Karthi Gnanasegaram is another established sports broadcaster, having worked at Sky News and Al Jazeera, and now presents the sports news on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme and BBC1’s Ten O’Clock News.

Tanni Grey-Thompson is one of Britain’s most successful Paralympians, having won the London Marathon six times and 11 Paralympic golds, who now campaigns on a wide range of issues as a widely respected member of the House of Lords.

The SJA organisers are hopeful of adding to the distinguished panel in the coming weeks.

The SJA Diversity Forum will be held in the large meeting room on the LG floor of the Sport England/UK Sport building at 21 Bloomsbury Street, London WC1B 3HF. The SJA is very grateful to Sport England for their generosity in agreeing to host this event.

Attendees should arrive with some form of photo ID for security.

Doors will be open from 6pm, with the hour-long forum beginning at 6.30pm sharp. Light refreshments – tea, coffee, water – will be available.

The event is free to attend and everyone is welcome. But places are limited and will be allocated on a first-apply, first-served basis, with priority given to SJA members.

If you wish to attend, please book your place by emailing maryfitzhenry@hotmail.co.uk, with “Diversity Forum” in the subject line. Please state your SJA membership number, if applicable, and include a contact phone number in your ticket request.

If you wish to submit a question for consideration at the forum, please email it to stevenwdownes@btinternet.com, again with “Diversity Forum” in the subject header and a contact phone number.

  • The SJA is the largest member organisation of sports media professionals in the world. Join us: Click here for more details
  • This year, the SJA’s nominated good cause is The Journalists’ Charity. To find out more and how you can donate on a one-off or regular basis, go to www.journalistscharity.org.uk

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