MY name is Niamh Hatfield and I have recently begun my career as a young aspiring journalist.
Having grown up in Belfast, I was always eager to expand my knowledge through travel, so after I finished secondary education in Belfast I moved to Valencia, Spain to take myself out of my comfort zone and experience a new culture. This also helped me learn another language which is a skill I have found invaluable over the years. The following year I travelled to Southeast Asia which was an incredible experience that broadened my perspective and understanding of people and lifestyles. Travelling has allowed me to gain countless skills that I have been able to carry into my studies and career.
Following my travels, I moved to London to study Journalism and Fashion Marketing at London Metropolitan University. I went into my studies extremely open-minded towards what field of journalism I wanted to pursue. However, having studied a year, I found that I was most passionate and engaged in fashion journalism.
Towards the end of the university year, I decided to build my own website where I could upload and display my work. I have found the website to be extremely motivating throughout my studies. I mostly write about topics surrounding fashion sustainability, with stories featuring Belfast charity Show Some Love, discussing how crucial it is to make second hand shopping a more fun and appealing option to consumers.
Through interactive activities like workshops and fashion flees, Show Some Love help spread the message of sustainability through community engagement.
Another story which I thoroughly enjoyed writing was with a brand called Mammut, which specialises in premium outdoor mountaineering clothing and equipment. This feature discusses Mammut’s innovative repair and resale initiatives which allows them to tackle waste head on, whilst pushing for a circular economy.
Something I am currently trying to improve on is incorporating multimedia elements into my journalism. I personally find features with multimedia elements to be more engaging and provide more in-depth context for readers. Ways I have incorporated this into my journalism has been through audio and video, hyperlinks, and interactive social media tools. One feature where I thought multimedia was particularly effective was with designer and author Patrick Grant, who owns the brand Community Clothing. I incorporated all the elements above in this feature to help express Grants passion for tackling overconsumption and shifting the fashion industry away from cheap, disposable fashion to sustainable alternatives. This worked particularly well for this feature as you could hear the emotion behind Grants words.
I have been very grateful to gain work experience at Belfast Media Group and to be given the opportunity to be involved in a newsroom environment. I hope to gain more work experience alongside my studies in London to best prepare me for my future career in journalism.
