To be surprised about the amount of nepotism in Journalism

[AndromedaPerseus]

Today I read an article in the Sunday Times by Emily Clarkson (Jeremy’s dd who has also written for ST in the past) urging kids not to worry if you don’t get your Alevels to go to university. Obviously when you’re the dd of a multimillionaire with huge amount of connections then you needn’t be too concerned

Then there is a new ST columnist Flora Gill who just happen to be the dd of AA Gill and Amber Rudd. Just for the record Flora seems to have replace Scarlet Curtis who had a regular ST column for the past year and she happens to be the dd of Richard Curtis and Emma Freud.

Having read their musings Flora is the best of the bunch but not outstanding whereas Emily’s writing is the standard of a grade B GCSE student and I had no idea what Scarlet was talking about most of the time.

AIBU to think the upper echelons of journalism is still a career only opened to the well connected and not necessary the most talented

When my cousin graduated with a publishing degree about 15 years ago, she applied for several good graduate level publishing roles but was unsuccessful.

The feedback she got was that she lacked work experience in the industry. She asked how she was supposed to have gained experience while studying and was told that lots of students “volunteered” and did unpaid work during the summer break to get the experience.

My cousin, like many students in my social circle, couldnt afford to spend 6 weeks volunteering and the majority of us got summer and christmas jobs in retail to help fund the following terms.

Even if you forget the amount of celebrity leg ups in the media industry, the chances are you will have a background of wealth to be able to get yourself into a position of wealth yourself

The BBC is rife with nepotism (amongst it's many other faults)

I doubt there's anyone works at the BBC who hasn't got at least one relative working there.

Nepotism is everywhere. However I think it is a different story in something like medicine where you have to pass quite rigorous exams to qualify.

With journalism, if they're talented I'll forgive them. And like him or loathe him, AA Gill was a phenomenal writer, so I'd be interested to see whether his daughter inherited any of that.

The Emilia Clarkson piece sounds like exactly the type of thing that would get on my tits though.

Dimblebys are the biggest example.

Don't forget the flipping Labour party though: son of Corbyn works for McDonnell!

I had a young relative working in politics: had to leave London as too difficult to make ends meet. Can we move parliament to the cenre of the UK? Coventry might do.

Years ago (long before Google) I remember just not getting what Polly Toynbee brought to the table..

O dolores. You're right, I should have included Giles C, I was being unfair as he can come over as a bit of a twot. But agreed, he's got it.

Coren is such an unpleasant little person.

Oddly my son used to work for a dimbleby, humble position no nepotism required. But the gossip -not about them but people in the news - was ace.

I agree, OP. It gets on my tits too. There are certain family dynasties where it’s a matter of entitlement, such as Alexander and Daisy Waugh, or Dominic and Nigella Lawson. Don’t forget Bryony Gordon - can’t even remember her mum’s name now, but she was well known in her day.

Oh come on, how is it remotely like a father- child plumber pair? Anyone who can complete the training and exams can become an plumber. This is about extremely exclusive industries that many talented people are desperate to get into, and the children of journalists who walk into it before all of them, with little talent or experience
How can that be ok?

I noticed this today too....last week I was infuriated by an article in one of the Sunday papers about Jonathan Miller’s son who was inferring that being the son of a well known intellectual and rich family had been horrid! He was even sent to a state school, poor lamb, as part of their socialist principles. Luckily it was Holland Park, and when he was unhappy he was sent to Bedales with lots of other famous peoples’ offspring. He got a job at the BBC through contacts and now owns a multi million pound house on the street on which he grew up.

I wouldn’t mind so much if these people acknowledged the part their names played in their being successful, but they usually infer it was in spite of the family connections and they would far rather have been Tarquin Smith from Derby!

Interestingly, those who are handed it on a plate tend to be the first to sound off about talentless reality show celebrities, who at the very least are earning a living through their efforts and perseverence (Dani Dyer excepted).

It always was true but it's definitely got worse. Journalism has been a basket case ever since the internet destroyed newspapers.

Back in the 80s/90s it used to be competitive but they had to actually get new talent to have cheap stuff to publish, and they had to pay the new talent because they needed you to be able to afford to live and they needed to know they'd have enough quality copy to fill the damn thing. And if the new talent was any good you soon had people offering the talent more to move to their paper. So you had to give journalists raises.

Since the internet there must be 100 times as many people all prepared to show you their writing with no obligation and only too pleased to have their work used just for a byline. Free journalism is everywhere. So the real jobs are thin on the ground, almost an afterthought. It's only kids whose parents can afford for them to live in central London while working unpaid as an intern that have even a sniff at those jobs. Mainstream kids like me wouldn't stand a chance. And of course if not only can you easily afford to be an intern, you have a known name and extensive contacts? Well, of course you're far more likely to get the job.

Scarlett Curtis, early 20s managed to land a column with Sunday Times Style magazine, quite an achievement at such a young age, wonder if father Richard Curtis or mother Emma Freud helped with that

My sister works at a senior level at the beeb. Had no family connections.

A schoolfriend used to work at the bbc. No family connections.

It is possible.

Sorry see that's already been mentioned in the opening post, but yes I do agree OP, had no idea what Scarlett Curtis was talking about most of the time, I suppose someone must have done

I was just reading the article in the ST magazine and guessed that Emily Clarkson must be the daughter of Jeremy.

Interesting that Samantha Cameron's sister writes a column in the London Evening Standard, a paper edited by George Osborne...

20,000 people work for the bbc. Of course plenty haven’t got there through family connections. That doesn’t mean it’s not prevalent and unfair

The Gallagher kids are ok looking, not ugly but there is no way that they would be selected as models without their known parentage. But I am amazed that the offspring of the rich and famous can’t do well without their parents name, Jeremy Clarkson could afford to send his daughters to the best schools in England along with top tutors. Pretty poor show if the daughter failed to do well in her exams.

I predict the children of the likes of The Beckhams, Jacob Rees-Mogg/Boris Johnson, David Baddiel/Morwenna Banks etc being ‘successful’ with little or no talent in showbiz/journalism within the next decade or so : yawn:.

Itsear I think celebrities often have quite chaotic lives, especially when drugs/ alcohol is involved, and to be honest, despite the money available I’m not sure they’re always the best parents. Doesn’t really surprise me that they often don’t seem to achieve much despite all the privilage they have

Brooklyn Beckham's has dropped out of his university course in New York after a year, missed the family allegedly, even though he always seems to be on holiday somewhere or other with them. I heard he has some amazing internship lined up. The downside is that he will have to take some menial job to support himself whilst he does that, photographing his mum's new frocks I gather, hard graft, not easy

Redex, there are many everyday admin/sec/engineer etc jobs at bbc which people apply for successfully without contacts. The problem is,there's a class ceiling. Although merit alone should be sufficient to secure one of the coveted jobs above the ceiling, that's not always the case.

Also Emily Clarkson is only 24, even if she didn’t have famous parents and financial security she’s not exactly a wise old sage who has a wealth of experience and age under her belt - not really her place to give advice about it!

Itsear considering Jeremy Clarkson 's annual tweet on A levels results day boasting of the fact that he got a C and 2 U 's yet has a yacht and 5 Landrovers I doubt that he gives much value to education.

Nepotism is everywhere. Our primary school is massively oversubscribed and has a long waiting list. Any newcomers that have a parent who is doctor or lecturer in the university strangely bypassed the list

By the way, these 'celebrity' social columnists don't usually write their own columns, the names are there to attract more readers; the columns are usually constructed by some poor intern trying to gain experience.