Final Whistle Project

“My father would rather I be a dram drinker than a journalist.” - James Boswell. One could argue that there’s nothing wrong with either! - Lee McKenzie

It’s been a great pleasure over the past six months to be the Guest Editor of a new magazine written solely by young female aspiring sports journalists.The Final Whistle Project was created to encourage female journalism students to consider sport as their chosen subject.

Now, before anyone gets annoyed, I have also been part of many projects to attract both men and women into journalism. I posted about this on my social media and instantly the argument was put to me that true equality would be initiatives that are open to all. I agree but to get true equality we need projects like Final Whistle to be a catalyst to redress the imbalance, particularly when it comes to sports journalism. The statistics show that in the U.K. 5% of sports editors are female and only 10% of all sports writers are female. I would argue that true equality would be to not need projects like this at all.

I’m passionate about journalism and when it’s done well, whether it be reportage or investigative, it can really make a difference. The title “journalist” hasn’t always been seen in a positive light. Even recently it’s still seen as a bit of a grubby word. Go back a few hundred years and the feeling is pretty similar. The 18th century biographer James Boswell was quoted as saying “My father would rather I be a dram drinker than a journalist.” One could argue that there’s nothing wrong with either!

‘TV presenter’ seems more exciting but just because you’re on television does not make you a journalist. It’s not that one is better than the other. They are different jobs and skill sets. This weekend I’m covering the Six Nations for the BBC. I’m there in a reporter role. When I present Formula One in a few weeks time, I’m there as the presenter. For me, it doesn’t really change my process or thinking. I do the same prep, write my scripts and still always try to ask pointed questions.

To be a good journalist takes preparation and sometimes courage and unless declared why, you have to stay unbiased. If you want to know more about how I started in journalism, you can read my first Substack, which was only a few articles ago. Rather than read about me though, I would implore you to listen to the BBC correspondent Jeremy Bowen’s brilliant series ‘Front Lines of Journalism’. It is a wonderful reminder to all journalists, current and budding, about what it takes. Listen here

There is one quote that really stands out for me in the series. “Journalism requires you to be slightly on the outside looking in. As soon as you get too close to the power or are on the inside looking out, then you lose all sense of objectivity.”

That can sometimes be tested in a sport like Formula One where you tend to travel together and know each other well. Again, as explained in my book Inside F1, I will always try and ask a relevant question and not back off from a subject should it be necessary, regardless of who it is to. Often after the interview, I’ve had to explain to the interviewee that this is my job, just like being interviewed is part of the other person’s job. Yes, it can be uncomfortable. It’s my job.

People write to me all the time asking “how can I be on TV” or “how can I get into F1” but only occasionally will they ask how can they get into journalism. The first thing I do is check to see how they come across on social media. You would be amazed how often they are ‘passionate’ fans of a single driver and posting hate, swearing, and generally furious about other drivers. That is not going to work for any role.

My father, who is a well-known Fleet Street sports writer always told me when I was younger that ‘to be a good sports journalist, I had to be a good journalist’. To me there is no truer phrase. I covered news stories, politics, general elections, court cases, and even dog shows and art fairs. Yes, I always wanted to go into sport but the grounding came from news.

Back to The Final Whistle project. The link to the first edition of the magazine (and how to apply for the next one) is at the end of this article. This is not a publication written for women, just by them. If you enjoy sports, this really should be of interest to you . Of course in this instance I am biased but I admit it. I really enjoyed reading the magazine and I hope you do too.

Read here - Final Whistle Project