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Matthew Leake
Matthew works in the editorial team and has a background in marketing and communications.

What I do

My role at the Reuters Institute involves promoting, and maintaining content for, our various programmes including our fellowships, leadership courses, climate network and other opportunities through our full range of channels including our website and social media. Alongside my immediate colleagues in the editorial team I co-author and edit our twice-weekly email newsletter and daily LinkedIn briefing.

I commission, create and produce much of the audio and visual output of the institute including podcasts, livestreaming and filming of events, photography, promotional videos and short-form video content.

In addition to my more communications-focused activities and day-to-day editorial tasks, I also conduct longer-form journalism. My pieces have generally focused on areas of the Global South, in particular the Middle East. Throughout some of the recent conflicts in the Middle East I have sought to understand the dedication and extreme pressures that journalists in the region are experiencing including in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Israel.

My background

Prior to the Reuters Institute I worked in international higher education marketing and student recruitment, with a focus on the Middle East, at Oxford Brookes University. I have also held various roles at ForesightNews, American Express, and HIV and Aids NGO AVERT.

Journalistic ethics

Journalists at the Reuters Institute are committed to upholding Reuters trust principles and Reuters standards and values. Understanding how journalism is practised around the world can be a microcosm for understanding wider social and political contexts. When interviewing journalists I always explain my intentions and give them the space and time to share their insights and experiences. I am aware that many journalists I speak to live in, or cover, extremely traumatic and volatile situations. I engage with sources in an empathetic manner and write my pieces with an open mind.