Sandra Laville visited University College Falmouth this
week to give University students advice following her recent appearance in the
Leveson Inquiry.
Laville has been the Crime Correspondent for the guardian
for seven years where she is the senior journalist and has covered many major
cases such as the Harold Shipman murder investigation and the fatal stabbing of
the 10 year old Damilola Taylor.
Laville advised students: “When people employ you they
want to hear about your integrity and ethics, you are young and employers want
to hear about how youre not tainted by any of these bad practices. It is an
ethical profession it is a positive and good thing in society.”
She started off her journalistic career in local news
starting on the Northampton Chronicle and Echo also the Cornish weekly
newspaper the Western Morning News before moving to London.
Laville told
students to: “Take every opportunity that comes to you, don’t be afraid to
start small, don’t be afraid to start on a niche magazine”.
Journalists have been highly criticised for their
involvement within the phone hacking scandal particularly under the rein of
Murdoch’s empire. However Laville argues that as a Journalist it is her job: “to
be the people’s eyes and ears, To hold the authorities to account, To give
people voices who don’t have voices normally. I need to shed light on injustice”
She understands that due to the huge scandals within the
press and the weakened relationship between journalists and the public it is
becoming increasingly harder for young
journalists to make an impression in their chosen field of profession. She
adds: “Your jobs might be harder in the future but you just need to be tenacious
and dig around for stories.”
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