“They assumed I was a man sitting in the ivory tower of the BBC.”
Rachel Dinning is magnified on the projector screen of the University of Gloucestershire’s magazine journalism classroom. At 27, she’s landed a role the students here can only dream of achieving after their studies: Executive Editorial Assistant of BBC History magazine. ‘I got the role because of the work experience I did during university,’ she begins, ‘I have a master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism, where we had to do a placement in the industry. I did this at Perfect Wedding Magazine with Immediate Media, which is the publisher I work for now!’ Rachel explains that she was aware of the publisher’s values, so they were keen to work with her later on in her career. ‘They liked that I knew it’s important to be diverse in both print and digital, so they took me on when I applied.’ Rachel was initially a news reporter for Gloucestershire Gazette, which she enjoyed but found completely different. ‘The writing style is so unlike magazine writing. It was also different because it was a local newspaper, meaning we got a lot of hate from locals for reporting about things such as housing developments, which is completely different to any political backlash I get now.’ Rachel runs the BBC History Twitter page, so is pretty used to being criticised online. ‘Someone once tweeted that they “could imagine the man writing this sitting in his ivory tower.” It’s evident now that she definitely isn’t. ‘’I wanted to reply with a picture of me, a young female intern sitting in the office. I thought it was so funny.’ To the everyday person, receiving online hate like this has a negative affect. Rachel, however, seems to have developed a thick skin while working in journalism, laughing off the ironic comment.
‘I was really nervous when I applied to work at BBC History Magazine. I don’t have a history degree like my colleagues do, although I did do history at A-Level.’ Rachel does have a degree, but unlike the rest of the team, hers is in English Literature. ‘I have always wanted to write, even at primary school.’ After her degree, Rachel applied to master’s degrees in Broadcast Journalism and in teaching English. Fortunately, she chose journalism. ‘I’m really happy I went with journalism, otherwise I wouldn’t be where I am.’ During her English degree, Rachel discovered her favourite piece of writing: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. ‘It was actually her birthday two days ago!’ Rachel demonstrates her knowledge of literature. ‘The protagonist is an aspiring writer. I read it when I was about to go into the world of publishing, I really felt like I could relate to her.’ Rachel’s admiration for storytelling is shown in her work. ‘I take academic essays sent in from history professors and turn them into stories that are accessible for our readers’.
Although it’s not just writing that Rachel does, she works digitally too. ‘Because of the pandemic, we recently made a podcast episode on the history of medicine, where we covered vaccines and previous pandemics. If I was to work elsewhere in the industry, I’d work as a podcaster or even a presenter.’ Although Covid-19 has enabled Rachel to create content such as this, it’s undoubtedly had its negative effects on the industry. ‘I can’t develop ideas alongside colleagues like I could before.’ Rachel refers to the closing of offices such as Immediate Media’s. ‘It’s not the same over Slack, the online tool we use. I used to go on a walk and grab a coffee with my colleague to talk about our ideas so we could go back with a fresh head. I can’t do that now, so writer’s block is harder to cope with.’ However, Rachel explains that there has been at least one positive outcome of the restrictions: ‘We’re producing way more podcast content now because our listeners have increased.’ She also suggests that the transition to online working may be positive. ‘I think moving everything online may mean there are going to be more media opportunities. For example, I live in Bristol and used to travel to London for interviews. With interviews being online, more job opportunities could exist in media, and people can stay where they are!’ Rachel clearly has plans for the future, be that in her dream role of podcasting or presenting. She ends the call, not from an ivory tower, but in front of the simple backdrop of her office, wishing students at the university good luck with their studies. She’s inspiring a new generation of writers just like herself.