Women In Journalism

What Women In Journalism does

Women in Journalism (WiJ) is a UK-based, membership-driven non-profit organization founded in 1992 by Eve Pollard to support women journalists across all sectors and platforms of the UK media industry. Operating as a private limited company (Company number 17178484) headquartered in London with approximately 10 employees and a volunteer-led Executive Committee, the organization runs five core product lines: an annual membership programme (priced at £45/year for London and South East, £30/year for UK Regional), an industry-leading Mentoring Scheme that has matched over 800 mentees with senior journalists, an annual WiJ Awards programme (Lifetime Achievement, Woman of the Year, Rising Star, Barbara Taylor Bradford Trailblazer), the £4,000 Georgina Henry Award for journalism innovation, and a year-round Events and Training Programme including workshops, AI for Journalists courses, and freelance training bundles.

The organization's underlying "technology" is community infrastructure rather than software: a website built on ShopWired for membership and event sales, Mailchimp for newsletter distribution to thousands of subscribers, Google Forms for registration, and Zoom for online event delivery. It does not operate proprietary technology platforms or develop software products. Its revenue mechanics combine recurring subscription membership fees (the primary recurring stream), transactional event ticket and course bundle sales, and a nascent B2B corporate training stream (£500 for ten participants) targeting media organizations.

Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with the newsletter, podcast, and sold-out social events (e.g., annual Christmas Party at NewsUK) serving as both acquisition and engagement channels. Corporate sponsorships from Tesco (mentor programme) and Wiggin LLP (Georgina Henry Award) provide programme-level funding, while the organization serves an exclusively UK membership base with no geographic expansion signals.

Name

Women In Journalism

Legal name

Women in Journalism Limited

Website

https://womeninjournalism.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Women in Journalism is a UK-based non-profit membership organization founded in 1992 that supports women journalists across all career stages through mentoring, awards, training events, and networking, serving hundreds of members nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association / Membership Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

Keywords

• Journalism networking
• Media mentorship
• Professional membership
• Journalist training
• Freelance journalism support

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees provide the primary recurring revenue stream. Two tiers are offered: £45/year for members based in London and South East, and £30/year for members based elsewhere in the UK. Membership provides access to mentorship schemes, discounted event tickets, exclusive events, and networking opportunities.
2. Event Tickets and Course Bundles: Revenue generated from ticket sales for workshops, masterclasses, AI for Journalists courses, and social events. Individual event tickets range from £10-25 for members. Course bundles include 10-session AI courses at £80 for members and £160 for non-members, and 5-session freelance bundles at £35 for members and £100 for non-members. Corporate bundles for organizational training are priced at £500 for ten participants.
3. Corporate Training Bundles: Corporate bundle allows organizations to train ten people at £50 each, providing access to all ten live AI for Journalists sessions plus recordings and materials. This B2B revenue stream targets media organizations looking to upskill their journalism staff in AI tools and techniques.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Women in Journalism is a UK membership-based professional community that supports women journalists through annual memberships, an industry-leading mentoring programme matching mentees with senior journalists, skills training workshops (including AI for Journalists and freelance courses), annual awards, and networking events. It generates revenue from membership subscriptions, paid event tickets and course bundles, corporate training packages for newsrooms, and sponsorship from companies such as Tesco and Wiggin LLP.

Product overview

Women in Journalism is a UK-based professional membership organization offering a portfolio of services to support women journalists at all career stages. The core offerings include: an industry-leading Mentoring Programme (now in its tenth year with 800+ mentees matched), WiJ Awards (recognizing excellence across journalism), the Georgina Henry Award (£4,000 annual prize for journalism innovation), the WiJ Podcast featuring industry conversations, an Events and Training Programme with practical workshops, and membership tiers providing access to mentorship, training, exclusive events, and networking. Educational content includes specialized courses on AI tools for journalists, freelance journalism skills, and career development. The organization operates a freelance-specific Freelance Chapter providing guidance and connections to major publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Georgina Henry Award: An annual £4,000 prize supporting original and impactful journalism, named in memory of Guardian's former deputy editor Georgina Henry. Sponsored by Wiggin LLP. The award helps women journalists develop bold ideas, new approaches and innovative projects.
• WiJ Podcast
• WiJ Mentoring Scheme

Products and services

• Membership Annual subscription-based membership for women journalists in the UK, providing access to industry mentorship, expert training, exclusive events, networking opportunities, career progression support, weekly newsletter, and on-demand learning recordings. Two regional pricing tiers are offered.
• Mentoring Programme Year-long structured mentorship scheme matching women journalists with experienced senior mentors across the UK media industry. Divided into junior (2-5 years experience) and senior (5+ years) strands, with four structured meetings. Now in its tenth year with over 800 mentees matched.
• Events and Training Programme Year-round programme of skills workshops, talks, panel discussions, AI for Journalists courses, freelance training bundles, CV clinics, and practical journalism skills sessions. Includes paid individual tickets (£10-25 for members) and structured course bundles.
• AI for Journalists Course (10-session bundle) Ten-session practical course taught by working journalists from major organisations including BBC Verify, Reuters, and Newsquest. Covers generative AI, knowledge retrieval, AI agents, and process automation for reporting. Bundle priced at £80 for members and £160 for non-members.
• Advanced AI Course (5-session bundle) Five-session advanced AI course for journalists covering NotebookLM, Pinpoint, data analysis, social media automation, AI agents, and building custom newsroom agents (NewsBot).
• Corporate Training Bundle Corporate training bundle for media organisations and newsrooms to upskill their journalism staff on AI applications in reporting, verification, audience reach, and workflow automation. £500 for ten participants including access to all live sessions, recordings, and accompanying materials.
• WiJ Podcast Podcast featuring candid conversations with women doing outstanding work across the media industry. Explores career journeys, challenges faced, lessons learned, and practical advice. Hosted by Marine Saint and Ottilie Mitchell.
• WiJ Awards Programme Annual awards programme recognising excellence in journalism across multiple categories including Lifetime Achievement, Woman of the Year, Rising Star, and Trailblazer awards. Winners include Lyse Doucet, Christina Lamb, Christiane Amanpour, Tina Brown, and Charlene White.
• Georgina Henry Award Annual £4,000 prize supporting original and impactful journalism, named in memory of the Guardian's former deputy editor Georgina Henry. Sponsored by Wiggin LLP. Helps women journalists develop innovative projects across written, audio, and video journalism.
• Freelance Chapter Specialised support for freelance women journalists including best practice guidelines on rates, contracts, rights, and pitching masterclasses. Provides connections to commissioning editors from The Guardian, The Sunday Times Magazine, The New Statesman, and The Telegraph.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 800 women journalists have been matched with mentors since the scheme began
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• SynapseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSynapse is a new sponsor of Women in Journalism. The partnership includes a free event where Synapse's CEO Charlie Russell explains how their free journalist platform works for finding story leads and contacts. Attendees receive free goodie bags.
• NewsUKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewsUK hosts the annual Women in Journalism Christmas Party at their London offices (1 London Bridge Street). The event sells out every year and provides a networking opportunity for members. This is an in-kind venue sponsorship rather than financial support.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF): Global non-profit supporting women journalists through grants, training, mentoring, and reporting fellowships. Closest international peer to WiJ's mission of advancing women in journalism, with a directly overlapping membership, awards, and training programmes.
• Women's Media Center: US-based non-profit working to amplify women in media through training, reporting, and advocacy. Directly comparable to WiJ as a women-in-journalism membership and capacity-building organization, with overlapping events, training, and recognition programmes.

Broad incumbents

• Society of Editors: UK-wide professional membership body for news editors across print, broadcast, and digital. Comparable to WiJ in operating as a UK journalism membership organization, but broader in scope (all editors) and not focused on women.
• National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ): UK industry body setting journalism training standards and delivering accredited courses and qualifications. Comparable to WiJ's training and events programme but operates at a much larger scale across the entire UK industry rather than women-focused.

Emerging players

• Journo Resources: UK journalism support organization founded by Georgina Henry Award winner Jem Collins, offering free resources for journalists on pay, contracts, and career development. Comparable niche player in the women-in-journalism support space and WiJ alumni venture.
• PressPad: UK non-profit matching journalism students with mentors and hosting journalism trainees from under-represented backgrounds. Comparable mentorship model and women-in-journalism support focus, founded by a Georgina Henry Award winner.

Others

• The Media Trust: UK charity connecting media professionals with charities and underrepresented voices through training and content programmes. Operates in the same UK media-capacity-building space as WiJ but with a different beneficiary population.
• Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ): International non-profit advocating for press freedom and providing safety and emergency support to journalists worldwide. Thematically adjacent as a journalism membership/advocacy organization but with a different mission focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Women In Journalism