Written by Rhian Campbell, Broadcaster Co-ordinator at Globelynx
“I think the people of this country have had enough of experts with organisations with acronyms saying that they know what is best and getting it consistently wrong”.
Michael Gove expressed this during the run up to the EU Referendum. A huge political move for our country with unseen consequences and to rationalise the argument either way. To understand the relevant news stories and developments from across the Globe we need to be able to rely on fact no matter the political ethos of the Broadcaster. How do you ensure this? Having high quality experts. That’s where Globelynx comes in.
Who is an Expert?
Globelynx is the Home of the Expert. But who qualifies as an expert?
The most common definition is of a person who is very knowledgeable about or skilful in a particular area. That definition doesn’t really clarify who an expert is. Is there a checklist? No.
Becoming an expert in the Globelynx network is not dependent on your age, education or years in your job. The crucial aspects are about your passion and a deep understanding of your field. Do you want to inform the public with your specialist knowledge?
These are the qualities that matter for Globelynx. As a company Globelynx guides, promotes and supports experts (and their organisations) through the process of being interviewed for Broadcasting. From giving guidance on technical equipment, procedure, and promotion.
News headlines reflect all aspects of the world we live in, there are some stories which are recurring such as COVID, Brexit and Climate Change however broadcasters also look for experts to comment on niche stories. Organisations of all shapes and specialities are part of our wider society and to truly comprehend the complexities of these news stories we need you.
Not all organisations will be picked frequently. Not all stories will apply to all experts but with more experts with different specialities the more we will be able accurately reflect the society we live in.
How Globelynx Lives Our Values
Reflecting our society is extremely important to Globelynx and at the end of 2020 became a partner of the BBC’s 50:50 Project. The project originally was created within the BBC to ensure the balance of the creators of content. Globelynx is one of over a 100 partners in 26 different countries of the 50:50 projects with this shared value.
This ambitious project started in 2018 and it’s expansion covers a wide variety of organisations and types of media. Ros Atkins, the founder of the 5050 project explained that:
At the heart of the idea is that if we monitor ourselves, we can generate data for our organisations, while simultaneously influencing our own motivation, awareness and performance.
To truly evolve to a point of Gender equality as well as equality across other underrepresentation groups it is important that data is observed, calculated and measured which is one of the core principles of the project.
Throughout March, the ‘Make March Count’ initiative was underway to flag the stats of the gender balance with an aim of trying to reach the 50:50 ratio. Across the whole project there was more than three-quarters (77%) of the datasets featured at least 40% women, compared to three-fifths (58%) when the partners first started monitoring – up 19 percentage points.
Globelynx saw an increase in Female Expert interview numbers even though the 50:50 goal was not reached, however it highlighted the challenges and opportunities that the company and our female experts faced. This was the beginning of a very important project and procedure that is an integral part of our ever more accepting society.
Globelynx’s dedication to the 50:50 project focuses on the promotion of the project and methodology. Even although women are heavily promoted via Globelynx is very important that both sets of our clients also actively participate. As a service it is important that we promote all of our experts and not dictate which experts broadcasters need to take. Our client organisations are encouraged to onboard as many or as little experts as they want. As Expressed earlier and expert doesn’t come in a one size fits all type.
The Future
BBC’s June Sarpong, the BBC Director of Creative Diversity outlined the importance of the ever evolving 5050 project:
I believe 50:50 is creating that movement. A movement of thousands of people across a global network. . . A small action for one individual, but a powerful tool of change – a movement. I would urge as many people and organisations as possible to join us so we can work together to reach a common goal – creating content that better reflects our world.
Globelynx believes that together, our experts can be a force for good in the world – helping create a better-informed society, and ensuring facts always triumph over uninformed opinion. If you have a speciality and a voice to add to the media landscape, and you want to be part of the movement to ensure true quality content is heard. Globelynx are ready to help you be part of the change.
To register as an expert with Globelynx, get in touch via our contact form