Working as a video journalist in China during the Covid pandemic

Organised by the Business Confucius Institute at the University of Leeds.

Leeds alumnus Martin Pollard won the Reuters’ Video Journalist of the Year award in 2020 for his text and video reporting from the frontline of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

In this talk, Martin will discuss his experience of covering coronavirus in China at a time when little was known about the illness and the global impact that was to come.  

A History and French graduate, Martin has worked in Canada, France, the UK and China – developing intercultural communication skills and learning Mandarin to a high level (passing HSK level 6, the top level Chinese Proficiency Exam in the international standardised system). 

Learn what life is like as a multimedia journalist in China and the career path that led Martin to find himself reporting from the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic. How do his language skills and cultural knowledge complement his work in news and documentary journalism? 

Register on Eventbrite.

Image credit: Tom Peter Reuters.

About the speaker

Martin Pollard graduated from the University of Leeds in 2009 with a degree in French and History and received an MA in Television Journalism from City, University of London in 2016. 

He is now an award-winning multimedia journalist with over 8 years of proven experience in both news and documentary for industry-leading companies including Reuters. His work includes video production, news and feature writing, story planning, interviewing, video and copy editing, inter-departmental collaboration, inter-cultural communication and public speaking.  

Martin speaks several foreign languages including French and Mandarin fluently and has extensive professional experience which has included covering the pandemic in China, protests and elections in Hong Kong and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.