The Sun is finding new, exciting and different ways to celebrate diversity, create more content that reflects its audience, and stand up for what is right – from honouring Black history heroes, to campaigning for the Government to reinstate the £434million of funding it has cut from families of disabled children with the Give It Back campaign to committing to stop using the acronym BAME.

The Sun is working hard to reflect and represent its audience and the UK more widely.  It is doing this through the content it commissions, the journalists it employs and the approach it takes to reporting on stories affecting different groups within society.  

The Sun has always been a campaigning force - often centred around charitable and consumer issues - now under Victoria Newton’s editorship, The Sun is taking a proactively inclusive approach to its reporting, and is aiming to have constructive, responsible editorials on race and racism in modern Britain. 

Young Talent Schemes


The Sun has been at the forefront of a number of schemes to increase the diversity of its newsroom to better reflect Britain today.

Across its Trainee Journalism Programme, and News UK’s Kickstart and Apprenticeship scheme, The Sun has helped to create a route into national journalism for 18 people from non-traditional backgrounds.

Each has received training from News Associates, along with regular mentoring and coaching from newsroom staff, and support from other partners, and many have gone on to receive contracts across Bizarre, Sun Snapchat, News, TV Mag, Features, Letters, Sport and Dear Deidre’s advice page.


Black History Month


In 2020, The Sun created the biggest Black History Month campaign in tabloid history with a series of interviews with high-profile names such as Lewis Hamilton, Maya Jama and Trevor McDonald about their Black heroes. 

In 2021, the title supported the official Black History Month UK’s ‘Proud to be’ campaign with a special series, featuring stories of Black British pride from across the country in all sectors including celebrities, spotting heroes and politicians.


Time for Change


The Sun’s Time For Change series was started in the response to the Black Lives Matter protests and conversation in the UK in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in the US in 2020. 

The first panel began a conversation examining race in Britain – across sport, politics and society. Heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua joined BLM protest hero Patrick Hutchinson, Stuart Lawrence – brother of ­murdered teenager Stephen – campaigner Trevor ­Phillips and ­education reformer Katharine Birbalsingh.

 

On the anniversary of the Black Lives Matter protests, Hugh ­Woozencroft spoke to Anton Ferdinand on the changes he’s seen in sport and football. The Sun also ran authored pieces from Mel B, Trisha Goddard and Stuart Lawrence.


The Vikki Orvice Scholarship


A trailblazer for women in sport, Vikki Orvice was the first female football writer on a UK tabloid and worked at the paper for 24 years, later as athletics correspondent. The Sun set up the scholarship in her memory after her death in 2019. 

The two-year scheme with SunSport gives the successful candidate the tools and training to follow in Vikki’s footsteps.They will also earn a living wage, get full training — including NCTJ qualifications — and have all course fees paid.

Isabelle Barker was awarded the first scholarship and continues with The Sun in a Sports Reporter role, and the second was awarded to Sandra Brobbey.


Tackling Muslim Under Representation


The Sun has a partnership with City University to offer a paid placement for a post-grad student interested in the under-representation of Muslims in the media each year.

City’s Department of Journalism offers a pair of postgraduate scholarships – sponsored by two charities – for the coming academic year, focused on exceptional students who are actively engaged in British Muslim communities, interested in the under-representation of Muslims in the media and interested more broadly in developing diversity in journalism.

The Sun then has the students on a paid placement, as well as giving them a mentor from their top team. 

 


Give it Back


The Sun launched its Give It Back campaign in 2019, demanding that the Government reinstate the £434 million of funding it has cut from families with disabled children – for services such as respite care and vital equipment.

The award-winning campaign, with the Disabled Children’s Partnership, shines a light on some of the most vulnerable children in the country who are struggling to cope without the funding, to make a real difference and hugely improve the lives of disabled children and their families.


Campaigning against Racism in football


On the eve of the Euros, The Sun dedicated a front page asking English fans to cheer, not boo as the whole team took the knee standing with Black Lives Matter. After the racist abuse suffered by England football players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, The Sun devoted its front page to a single, simple headline aimed at those three lions: “We’ve Got Your Back”.

The Sun also supported Thierry Henry's social media boycott with front page coverage and interviews with people from across the world of sport, as well as coming off its social media platforms in solidarity for the players in their fight against racism online and social media companies to perpetuate it.