Bursary winner hopes to report on living history

World events fascinate Eliza Betts, an international history and politics graduate from the University of Leeds, who is this year’s Guild of St Bride Journalism Bursary award winner.​

She was chosen from a shortlist of three candidates after an interview panel in the summer at City St George’s, London University, led by the Rector of St Bride’s, The Revd Canon Dr Alison Joyce, with the Master of the Guild, Lord Black, Simon Greaves, a Guild Court member and Financial Times journalist, and MA course director Paul Solman, a former FT journalist.

Eliza, who receives £4,200 toward her masters’ course fees, becomes the 17th holder of a bursary award from a scheme that started in 2012.

It aims to support young postgraduate journalism students to encourage a fresh generation of committed journalists into the profession, and to consolidate links between St Bride’s and the journalistic community in the UK and worldwide.

Open to applicants of all faith backgrounds and none, each award is given having considered the student’s journalistic potential, academic merit, financial need and the overall quality of their presentation at interview.

Speaking from a rural village in Suffolk, Eliza cited the bucolic charms of her remote upbringing as having shaped her writing, outlook on self-reliance and capability. She spoke throughout the interview of how her rural home environment had brought her closer to nature, but that its isolation also fostered a steadfast desire to progress beyond the village in which she grew up.

Here in her own words, she explains why she was drawn to journalism and her hopes of becoming a foreign correspondent:

“While studying abroad in Seoul, South Korea, I met so many people who had experienced the tangible effects of the division of the Korean Peninsula and who continue to live with the aftershocks of the conflict, many of whom are still separated from family across the demilitarised border buffer zone.

“During my undergraduate degree at Leeds, I had learned of the partition merely as an abstract geopolitical decision; however, in Korea I was enlightened by real people about the human experiences on either side of the demarcation line. It was this understanding which drew me towards a more human-centric framing of subsequent historical investigations and ultimately led to a desire to follow the path of journalism, where people are placed at the heart of stories.

“Due to my academic background, I am extremely interested in the genre of long-form, investigative journalism, with extended features and investigations allowing space for nuanced coverage of complex issues. It is also the challenging state of the journalism industry that draws me into its orbit. The value of truth telling and fact-based reporting can not be overstated in this digital climate where many feel trapped in an online vortex of disinformation.

“To be a journalist is to be in the service of truth, and it is this kind of journalism that I hope to embody, one committed to transparency and accountability, whether it be covering Politics or Big Tech.

“I am beyond excited to begin studying at City, a world-class institution and a bastion of excellence within the industry. I know the course will equip me with the vital tools to become a journalist of integrity and navigate an ever-changing media landscape.​

“After studying for a year in Seoul, I am ambitious to return to East Asia and work either for an international English-language newspaper or a UK publication as a foreign correspondent, and I hope my time studying at City will facilitate this aspiration.

“It is a great honour to have been selected by the panel as the 2026-27 Guild of St Bride bursary recipient. To know that members of the panel saw potential in me to be someone who was worth helping gives me tremendous confidence to continue along this path. The opportunity to access their invaluable expertise and guidance is perhaps the greatest victory in all this, and I’m excited to get to know them better over this next chapter.”

​The selection panel and all at St Bride’s wish Eliza every success with her studies and hope she fulfils her ambitions to pursue a career in journalism.

As the Journalists’ Church, our ministry to journalism is at the heart of our work – we have never been more convinced of the profound importance of what journalists do and never more impressed by the courage and dedication of those who cover stories at such immense personal risk.

Written by: Simon Greaves, Video Revise Editor, Financial Times/FT.com, and member of the Guild of St Bride