INTERVIEW: Cristina Nicolotti Squires, Editor of Channel 5 News

Photograph source: ITV

“Always believe in yourself, never let anybody tell you that you can’t do something and if they do prove them wrong.” These are the encouraging words of Channel 5 News Editor, Cristina Nicolotti Squires, who is the only female at the top of a network news programme.

Top ten tips for aspiring journalists:

1. To be a successful journalist you just have to be able to get on with people really well, I look for evidence of somebody who has interacted with people from all walks of life.

2. Just being an interesting personality is important. Every newsroom is a team and everybody needs a team player that will be fun to be around as well as very good at their job.

3. People who are going to do well in Journalism are the people who will give things a go, and at the beginning of your career you have more opportunity to take those risks.

4. Get as much experience as you can, when you get your foot in the door just become part of the team as quickly as you can, and make the organisation you are in feel as if they couldn’t possibly live without you.

5. I want to see evidence of what you’ve been involved in to prove you have an interest in journalism before you have even started. Anyone who is a graduate from a degree in journalism is already committed, just show that you are using the skills you’ve got.

6. You can’t do Journalism unless you love it; it’s a job that involves passion and commitment. Work is such a big part of our life if you don’t love it that’s tragic.

7. Pluralism in this business is really important you never want a situation where there is one straight broadcaster. Keeping an eye on your competitors is important but equally knowing your audience or your readership.

8. In my day it really was who you knew that helped you, but most places now have official work experience schemes, which you can apply to, but the whole working for free thing, you have to be careful it’s not abused.

9. As a freelancer, you have to put yourself about, ring news desk and try and get meetings with people. As a freelancer you have the freedom to do a wide variety of stuff, but you have to be organised, with all the paperwork

10. Juggling work and life is exactly that, it’s a juggle, sometimes it tips one way and sometimes it tips the other you just have to try to do the best can.

Traditionally newsrooms are male dominated, but what about Woman in Journalism?

I was at lunch the other day with an outlet called ‘Woman in Journalism’ and we were discussing all this, because it is still quite rare for a woman to be at the top in this business. I am the only woman in charge of network news. It is hard and it is a juggle but you can make it happen. I feel as a woman at the top of the business, I can say to young people, well I’ve managed it so why can’t you? It’s totally possible. The glass ceiling is only in our minds, and it’s up to us as woman to organise our lives accordingly.

How does the Channel 5 Newsroom work?

The main responsibility of the editor is to lead the team to produce the best journalism and news coverage that we can. What’s great about here is that because we have a small team, everyone takes part; we make a collective decision that we all work on.
8:30am - Morning editorial meeting which everyone attends, including the producers, the news desk and whichever reporters are not already out and about. We talk through the stories of the day and we come up with ideas.
10:30am – We meet again to talk about the later programme at 6:30pm to find out what we are going to develop and push on that.
12:00pm - We have a planning meeting for the next day
12:45pm – This is when we go through the run down of the 5 o’clock and 6:30pm bulletin. The producers talk us through how the piece is being put together, what elements its got, what elements we still need to chase.
Then we have a weekly planning meeting once a week on a Wednesday.

What do you find the most challenging about your job?

The difficulty with journalism is that it’s a career that doesn’t always fit into calendars and diaries. When I used to travel around the world I used to go to the toilets and cry, it sounds crazy but I hate having plans and having them ripped up.

What do you love the most about your job?

I just love news. I love things happening. I love the challenge of reporting stories and the teamwork involved in putting television together. I’m just fascinated by people and their stories. Everyone has a story and that’s what makes me so passionate about news. To be in a position where you decide what millions of people get in terms of information everyday is extremely powerful and extremely responsible, we tell people about what is going on in the world, and to be in that position is a remarkable privilege.

I never thought I’d be here, but I love it, I feel like it was something I was born to do.