The BBC effect: Reflections of a Chevening Scholar

Imagine a Chevening applicant whose phone ringtone is the epic BBC News beat.

Imagine a Chevening applicant who dreams of setting foot on the BBC News premises in London after watching them only on TV.

Imagine a Chevening applicant making his dreams come true.

That is my story from day one that I now share as a Chevening Scholar studying a Master in Digital Journalism at Goldsmiths, University of London.

I have been a newsie all my life. Since I was a little child, I dreamed about becoming a journalist, a newsman, and that is what I have been doing for the last decade.

In Colombia, where I am from, the international news channels were mostly from the United States, but there was one outlet that was common to everyone: the very well-known ‘BBC de Londres’, as we would say in Spanish.

But it is more than that. The BBC turned 100 years old in 2022 and is one of the UK’s most recognised and trusted brands. I believe it is largely due to its mission defined by the Royal Charter: inform, educate, and entertain. But of course the corporation has gone beyond British borders and has led the world as the largest news service available in more than 40 languages.

No media outlet in the world has a broader presence than the BBC: TV, radio, and the internet, with growing audiences in social media. There is also the close interaction of BBC journalists with people from around the world.

That is how I met Rich Preston, a journalist and news anchor at the BBC World News service on radio and TV, who recently toured me around the premises of the BBC in London.

As I told many of my closest friends, this was like going to Disneyland. After all this time of watching the BBC News from home in Manizales, Colombia, it was an amazing feeling to be at the heart of it.

The BBC Broadcasting House is located in central London. It is marked by the architectonical contrast between the iconic building where the radio waves were broadcast decades ago, and the brand new high-tech building where current work is held every day.

Once you arrive outside the Broadcasting House you can find the names of numerous cities around the world where the BBC has operations. I managed to find Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia, where part of the BBC Mundo crew is located.

When you step inside, it is all about the passion that drives journalism towards its goal of informing people what is happening. The newsroom is located one storey below ground level, as well as the main BBC News studio and other adjacent sets.

But the building itself is an international pass to many cultures, with offices that connect to bureaus all around the world and correspondents who are always following the news. At the BBC, it is possible to feel the world changing at the speed of news –  you can feel it as it happens.

During my visit, I was even lucky enough to be able to sit at the desk where the news anchors work and get a feel for what it means to be in front of the robotic cameras that

operate at the Broadcasting House. When you are passionate about your profession, as I am, this is a glorious feeling.

This visit has inspired me to follow my dreams in journalism and hopefully apply for a placement at the BBC. It would be a great opportunity to grow in the world’s leading news organisation.

This is the BBC effect.