From Fleet Street to Whitehall

For many people, entering the world of journalism may be quite a daunting task, for others a career in the civil service would be just as hard to achieve, but for one woman, working in both has been the result of hard work and perseverance.

Deepa Shah has worked in some of the busiest newsrooms in the country, and has gone on to use her experience to work in government press offices, and is currently a speechwriter in the Department of Education.

Shah’s entry into journalism was something she had been set on from a young age. She started out doing work experience with magazine publishers Harpers and Queen in her youth before graduating from Warwick University, where she was a reporter and deputy editor of the student newspaper. Upon graduation however, she found that entry in journalism may not be as open as it could be.

After graduation, I applied to do a Post-Graduate Certificate in Journalism at City. I wasn’t successful the first time round, the interview process seemed to me as if it relied on some past knowledge of the culture surrounding journalism. I was asked whether I had family in the media, which I couldn’t say yes to as someone of my background tends not to enter the world of journalism, but rather enters the world of entrepreneurial business, law, medicine or pharmaceuticals."

She added,

It had never occurred to me that I wouldn’t get a fair chance, and was surprised by evidence to the contrary. No-one should feel that anything is off-limits because of who they are."

Undeterred, Shah successfully applied a second time, and through this got her foot in the door:

Because of the links that have between developed between news editors and City, those on the course were able to get shifts with editors, and I managed to get shifts at the Sunday Times while studying."

After completing her PGCJ, Shah worked at a number of publications in diverse areas of print journalism, working as a freelancer as well as with the Eastern Eye, the London Evening Standard where she reported on the formation of the London Mayor’s Office and Assembly.

My time at the Evening Standard was a very hectic, challenging atmosphere, where sometimes I had just 5 minutes to complete a deadline or I had many stories to write in one day. I learnt from working under editors from white, working-class backgrounds who worked their way up, unlike today where the social set of news desks has completely changed."

After a number of years in journalism which included the worlds of glossy magazines and daytime television, Shah made the switch to the civil service, at first working in the Press Office of the Department of Health.

I know PR can be seen to be the “murkier side” of the media, but I have always had an interest in politics and wanted to work in an environment where I knew my skills would be appreciate, but also challenged."

After the passage of the Health Bill last year, Shah moved to the Department of Education, where she became a Senior Speechwriter and found that her experiences in journalism were useful in her role as a speechwriter:

Working in Freelance gave me the experience of writing for different publications, so I wasn’t fazed by writing speeches for different individuals. I’ve been instinctively able to adapt my writing style to who I was writing for and in my role I’ve been able to take into account different speaking styles when writing speeches."

Shah has found the civil service to have different methods of working within the media:

You are working with other people more than in journalism. When working for the press it could just be you, a notepad and a biro, but in the civil service, there is less room for individual creativity, which I suppose is understandable given the importance of what is being produced by the team."

Overall, comprehensive-school educated Shah finds that experience in journalism and the civil-service is improved by having a more diverse workforce, and changes have been made in recent years:

Cultures can become instilled and ingrained in areas of wider society, not just journalism, so much so that if you are different from the status quo, then you may have difficulty fitting in. It is hard to know how it can change though."

She added,

That said, the culture at papers such as The Standard has notably changed. About half the workforce is female, which is massive progress compared to a decade ago. It would be good to see BME editors though, directing the press and having a major influence upon what is in our newspapers."

Shah’s advice to anyone who wants to enter these fields is simple - maintain confidence and make use of personal networks:

Expressing confidence in yourself may go a long way, and many people may have gotten their confidence through their upbringing. If you don’t have that confidence or were not lucky enough to have it given to you then it is something to work on in order to achieve what you want. It may also help to develop contacts and gaining inside knowledge of the industry you want to enter. Before the vacancy at the Department of Education came up, I arranged a day of shadowing at the Department of Culure, Media and Sport and kept in contact with those I worked with. Gaining knowledge of what working in the Civil Service would be like before I applied was helpful to me in gaining the position."

For Shah, the primary thing is being confident and believing in your own ability to succeed. There is no such thing as a job someone automatically can’t do. It is all a case of taking the steps to apply.

Fortune Achonna

If you are inspired by Deepa's journey, the Department of Education are currently recruiting for a Senior Speechwriter. The deadline is 17th June so apply today.