11th November 2025
Journalism advice from our resident professor
One of the most rewarding aspects of the Shine School Media Awards is seeing students discover their voice as writers. But how do you help them move beyond the school essay format and create journalism that truly engages?
We’re delighted that Dr Glenda Cooper, a member of the Shine committee and Associate Professor in Journalism at City St George’s, University of London, has written a comprehensive guide specifically for students entering our Writer of the Year category.
After years of judging Shine entries, Dr Cooper has noticed clear patterns in what makes writing stand out. The winners aren’t necessarily the most eloquent writers, rather they’re the ones who’ve learned to use fundamental journalism techniques to connect with their readers.
Her five essential tips cover:
- It’s good to talk
Why interviews bring pieces to life - Get out and about
The power of reportage and vivid detail - Tell me something new
Finding the angle that makes readers sit up - It’s personal
When and how to use your own experiences - Grab us from the start
Crafting intros that hook your audience
Here are Glenda’s top tips in full…
Many times in the Shine Writer of the Year category we see people who can clearly write very well, but they aren’t showing off the best of their ability. Often this is because they have submitted think pieces, which may be on weighty matters but can read much more like a school essay than an engaging piece of journalism. Those who win tend to have gone that bit further and thought about how to engage their audience.
If your passion is climate change, how Gen Z values are different to previous generations, human rights or even why Traitors is the best ever programme, of course these are great pieces. But a straightforward comment piece may not glow, or win over your reader/the judging panel in a way that using basic journalism skills do. I still remember pieces I judged where a student wrote about their sibling transitioning or a powerful interview with an asylum seeker or a former BBC journalist.
So these are the suggestions I’d make after judging Shine for many years now:
- It’s good to talk!
The great privilege – and responsibility – for journalists is that we get to meet people that others don’t. So many of the most successful pieces in the Shine awards are those where the writer has interviewed someone and found out something new about them or a particular issue. It’s always much more impressive to show us someone who’s actually done something to change the way we think about climate, than just a piece on why you believe the climate emergency is important. And think about what quotes to use. Pro-tip: a quote should not be something that is merely sharing information that you could write in direct quotes; it should tell you something about the person themselves – their emotions, their thoughts, their feelings. - Get out and about!
That’s the second privilege of journalism – going out and about and seeing things that others don’t/ Let your reader see, hear and feel what it’s like to be in the middle of a sporting event, a political debate, a muddy river, a fashion show or a charity supporting refugees. That will keep them glued to the page as they experience what it’s like to be there. Pro-tip: small details that are very precise can often really help here. Look for the detail that no one else notices – the fact that the politician who is preaching the need for economy is always wearing a exquisitely tailored suit and polished brogues, or the down to earth festival where to hire a tent costs thousands. - Tell me something new!
Some of the best pieces – whether interviews, reportage, or comment pieces are ones where we learn something unexpected and that makes you think. That’s the first question any editor will ask, even if you are not doing a news story but a feature. There has to be a reason why your editor would put this in the paper/magazine now. Pro-tip: Think about reading something and then wanting to tell your mates as soon as you saw them at school – or your family as soon as you get home. - It’s personal
If you want to write a think piece or reflection it’s often very powerful to use examples from your own life. If you want to write about fast fashion, how did you decide against shopping at places like Primark? If you believe strongly in animal rights, tell us an anecdote that encapsulates what made you change your mind. But remember – you have to be comfortable with what you share, once it’s out there, it’s out there. Pro-tip. Remember there has to be a reason for it that advances the piece. I remember as a young journalist writing beautifully about having a cup of tea while waiting for an interviewee. My editor said to me ‘What relevance does the tea have to your interviewee?’ (he was a scientist who thought you could tell as young as four who was going to be a future criminal). There wasn’t any! Certianly he didn’t think caffeine was to blame. It was just wasted words. - Grab us from the start
You have to draw the reader in so think about your intro. Are you starting with a startling new fact, an anecdote, an arresting quote, a description of where you are. It’s not like an essay – this is something that must make the reader feel they have to read on. Put us right in the middle of the situation. Challenge the reader by putting a different viewpoint to usual. And remember no one (apart from your mum, dad, carer or best mate) actually has to read your piece. For the average reader you need to draw them in – and keep them there. Pro-tip: A nice way to make the feature feel satisfying to the reader is if whatever scene/quote/issue you raise in the intro is somehow mirrored in the conclusion but the progression is clear and so the reader has the sense of the circle being closed.
Lastly – the best advice I can give is consume more journalism. If you read great writers like Caitlin Moran, Henry Mance, Decca Aitkenhead or Helen Rumbelow, you’ll learn the kind of tricks of the trade they use and how they bring a piece to life. Or find writers that you like yourself and look at what intro they’ve used, the best quotes they’ve chosen, the small details that bring a piece to life. And then you can do the same!
We hope you’ll share this with your students. It’s the kind of professional insight that can transform competent writing into compelling journalism.
Thank you, Dr Cooper, these are such powerful and thoughtful gems of wisdom.
Speaking of our other categories, to discover more about those, click the link below;
As always, if you have questions about entries for the Shine School Media Awards 2025, just drop us a line at shine@stationers.org
Richard Chapman
Chair of Shine