Spriha Srivastava studied the MA International Journalism at City, University of London and graduated in 2009.
What are you doing now?
I am the UK Bureau Chief and an Executive Editor for Insider, previously known as Business Insider. My role includes overseeing over 100 journalists across the UK and Singapore newsrooms.
What were you doing before pursuing postgraduate study?
Journalism was a career path that came out of the blue. When I was in India, I was very fascinated by foreign policy and international affairs and pursued a master’s in Political Science. I was studying and preparing to join the Indian Foreign Service but I didn’t get through the entrance exams. But preparing for those exams gave me a really good insight into global politics, current affairs and the big themes relevant around me. At that time, I was looking for other opportunities and I came across an internship at a political affairs magazine.
I absolutely love writing and really enjoyed international relations - my internship made me realise the two areas met, and this triggered my interest in journalism. However, I felt something was missing and wanted to get a postgraduate qualification, so I came to City.
Why did you choose to study at City?
Although I had received offers from other London universities, I chose City because it is in the heart of London and offered me an advantageous proximity to big media outlets. I also reached out to a number of alumni and all recommended City for Journalism.
Had I not come to study at City, it’s very likely I would have pursued a career in journalism in India. However, when I received the offer from City, I felt it was a great opportunity to come to London, a new city to me, which is a hub for media and where journalism is really popular. I moved to England days before the financial crisis in 2008 and I feel that this was a key reason for me to move into financial journalism.
How did you find the transition from India to the UK?
It was initially daunting moving to the UK, after growing up, going to school and then university in India, which has a very different education system. For example, networking was a new concept for me, so when everyone would go to social events, I wasn’t sure what to say or how to network. During the first couple of weeks I was quite hesitant when participating in discussions, but the professors and classmates were very helpful and soon I got around worries and started enjoying myself.
Studying International Journalism, which attracts students from all over the world, meant that plenty of my classmates were also international students. This was reassuring for me because we all felt like we were in the same boat and finding our feet in London. We would often help each other out with questions or assignments, so very soon I was settling right in. I began to network and go to social events with my classmates, lecturers and wider Journalism Department to get to know everyone better; this really helped me in understanding the course and finding my way around everything else.
What did you enjoy most about your course?
My cohort was quite big and very diverse with students coming from different places around the world, such as China and Sudan – even war reporters from the US. We would all sit together sharing stories and everybody had such different perspectives, and had a very global view of looking at any piece of news, which was extremely interesting. It allowed me to also look at stories from different angles and I cherish that so much.
In the ‘Media and Ethics’ module, run by Professor Roy Greenslade, we would have the opportunity to discuss a piece of news for 60 minutes. It was fascinating to participate in the discussions and hear the various perspectives from journalists living around the world on what media and ethics meant for them.
The focus on critical thinking and practical learning was definitely one of the best and most beneficial aspects of the course. So, if there’s ever a big breaking news event, I’ll know how to react quickly to it because of the experiences I’ve had on the course.
How did City prepare you for your chosen career path?
I’ll never forget the 'News Days' we had throughout the course. On 'News Days', the professors would take a step back, and we would all have set roles, such as editor, reporter, producer or camera person; we would have to plan and produce a news programme for that day, which was either TV or radio. It was imperative to work to strict deadlines on these days and work towards a specified showtime, which could not be missed or delayed. The concept of meeting deadlines and working under pressure really stuck with me when I left City and began working in real newsrooms.
The 'News Days' allowed me to try out all the various roles and explore which one I enjoyed the most. When I was tasked with being the editor, I felt in command and loved it, so when I eventually went on to become an editor it was even more enjoyable. These days really help bring out your strengths and weaknesses, and allow you to think about how you can lean into those strengths and use them in future.