The top 15 public sector journalists you need to know
Written by Joanna Clark2020 will be big for the UK’s public sector tech market. Following our exit from the EU the Government is promising more use of tech at the frontline of the NHS to improve patient experience; investment in computing and health data systems to aid research, and more focus on computing, robotics and AI.
We’ve put together a guide to 20 journalists that every publicsectortech supplier should follow. Highly informative and constantly producing engaging content, here are our go-to sources for an insightful look at the technology impacting every facet of the public sector.
- Alison Holt, BBC – Alison is the BBC’s social affairs correspondent and she covers a whole host of areas such as social care, welfare, child protection and disability. She produces reports mainly for the Six and Ten O’clock news as well as the BBC Panorama. Her reports have not only led to national debates but also helped to bring about changes in policies and the law. And if that wasn’t enough, Alison was also awarded the Orwell Prize in 2015 for her work exposing failures in the care of older people. Last year she lifted the lid on the current state of the social care system, filming in Somerset and focusing on four families, all exhausted by the demands of caring 24 hours a day for their loved ones – a must watch!
Crisis in Care – Part 1: Who Cares?
- Amelia Gentleman, The Guardian – Amelia is an award-winning journalist and for good reason! She throws herself into issues wholeheartedly and her stories have real political impact. Her work investigating the Windrush scandal was recognised in Downing Street and her current articles have a focus on the immigration system and the rights of child refugees in the UK. She gets to the root of the issue and really is someone to follow for updates on social affairs.
Child refugees: peer refuses to drop fight to keep protections
- Ben Clover, Health Service Journal – Ben is HSJ’s senior correspondent, reporting on developments in the hospital sector and London. He has worked at HSJ for seven years and has lectured at Imperial College London’s Master’s course on health policy. Ben offers readers analysis on some of the biggest issues in health policy and is a good source for breaking news in healthcare.
- Clare McDonald, Computer Weekly – Clare is the business editor at Computer Weekly but she also covers public sector issues, including government, local government, NHS, education and police. Her articles offer news on the latest developments in public sector technology and the impact they will have.
Brexit an opportunity for global collaboration on edtech, says universities minister
- David Brindle, The Guardian – David is the public services editor and has been with the paper since 1988. He has won awards for his coverage of social services, mental health, nursing and disability issues. He also served for nine years on the board of Housing 21, a housing and care provider for older people. David is a strong advocate for increased investment in social care, he’s certainly not afraid of a punchy headline and his commentary is insightful and shrewd.
Yes, the NHS needs more nurses, but what of the shortfall of 580,000 social care staff?
- Derek du Preez, diginomica/government – Editor at Diginomica, Derek is on a mission to help technology vendors understand how they can better serve their buyers’ technology and business needs. He is passionate about all things digital, a great interviewer and has a knack for conveying the wider implications for end-users in a way that is interesting and informative.
Health Secretary takes aim at AI critics and declares war on NHS bureaucracy
- Eleanor Busby, The Independent – Eleanor writes about everything related to education – from nurseries and schools to apprenticeships and universities. She also specialises in school admissions, exams and assessment, and widening access to higher education. A must follow for anyone wanting to get an overview of the biggest issues and trends impacting the sector.
Teenagers aspiring to traditional jobs despite rise of technology over past 20 years
- Helen McKenna – Helen’s role spans The King’s Fund’s policy and communications functions as well as identifying, analysing and communicating emerging policy issues as well as advising on their implications. For anyone wanting to know more about health and social care policy she is one to follow.
After the election: how will the new government approach health and social care?
- Heather Jameson, The MJ – Heather is editor of the MJ and has been with the publication for the last 19 years – she joined as a news reporter. She is a passionate advocate of local government and her articles offer a well-balanced and insightful view into the latest developments in local government and the trials and tribulations of austerity.
The ‘unfair’ funding review needs a bigger cake
- Hugh Pym, BBC – As the ‘Beebs’ News Health Editor, Hugh covers all aspects of health including the politics and economics of our cherished NHS. He’s written about all aspects of the UK healthcare ecosystem from A&E staffing pressures to new medical technologies and there is always an exclusive story to be found on his feed.
What to Look out for on the NHS
- Jane Dudman, Guardian Public Leaders Network – Nobody has an appetite for the public sector like Jane. Not only does she write news-led analysis and stories for the Public Leaders Network but she also regularly chairs industry debates on topical issues. Jane’s articles are a joy to read, she tackles important topics head on and always approaches them with new, interesting and an investigative slant – you only have to read one of her most recent articles to see what I mean.
Social housing crisis builds as government passes the buck
- John Gill, Times Higher Education – Editor of THE, John covers national and international news about higher education. This includes policy issues, public funding, tuition charges, student assessment and training. He regularly speaks at higher education conferences and the publication is an insightful source of information for those involved in higher education across the UK
- Mark Say, UK Authority – Mark is an industry veteran with a wealth of knowledge. He has been a journalist for just over 30 years and has his finger firmly on the pulse of what’s going on. If you want to know the latest and greatest news in the public sector then the UK Authority news feed is a must.
MHCLG opens Local Digital Fund round four
- Martin Hilditch, Inside Housing – Martin is editor at Inside Housing and covers all aspects of social housing, including local government housing, housing associations, social housing, private accommodation, property law, housing benefits and homelessness.
A glimpse into the heart of housing’s twilight zone
- Nick Golding, Local Government Chronicle – Like it’s sister publication Health Service Journal, LGC is one of the top publications for those in the public sector. It gets to the heart of what’s going on and Nick certainly packs a punch with the in-depth analysis he weaves into his articles.
Gardening amid the Brexit knotweed – a Solace Summit review
- Oscar Williams, New Statesman Tech – Before working at New Statesman Tech, Oscar worked across a number of national newspapers including The Times, Guardian and The Independent. This means he has an eye for a good story and his ‘week in public sector tech’ round-ups are an essential read here at Mantis.
The biggest govtech deals of the week (28/01/20)
- Owen Hughes, Digital Health – Owen has written for publications such as Techradar and International Business Times UK. His stories include information about technological developments within the NHS, as well as new applications of clinical software, such as
Using AI assessment to tackle dementia in ultra-early stages
- Rosemary Bennett, The Times – Rosemary has had an incredibly successful career at The Times, joining in 2002 as deputy political editor, becoming social affairs correspondent in 2007 before taking up the post of education editor last year. She has a keen eye for the latest news and shrewd understanding of the implications.
Tories will write minimum school funding into law
- Sam Trendall, PublicTechnology – Sam typically covers the news and analysis of public-sector technology. His articles look at a whole range of topics from how police forces are using cloud, to digital transformation in the NHS.
NHS moves major systems to AWS cloud
- Tom Wright, CRN – As managing editor, Tom focuses on the UK technology channel but he also often writes about various public sector frameworks. From G-Cloud to JISC and everything in between!
